Kopa's Legacy — Book II: Dawning at Nightfall
by Incarnate Firefly
Summary: Kopa has entangled himself in a new conflict when he learns of a deadly lioness taking Pridelanders as prisoners, and he feels obligated to stop her. After all, he was the one who had unveiled her plan and stopped her from taking over Pride Rock. He never would have guessed that one prisoner he would meet was a friend from a past life he never knew he had. [Readers' rating: 9.6/10]
1. Prologue

**[Author's Note]**

**And here we go, the start of book 2. Before you start reading, I'd just like to thank you all for your continued support, and the eagerness you've expressed to read my story series means a lot to me. Thanks to everyone who read book 1, I'm glad to see so many of you have enjoyed it so thoroughly! Anyway, onto the story. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

_Keep going._

It was the only thought that managed to break through her mind amidst all the agony she felt as she crawled. And crawled. And crawled. She could feel sharp jolts shooting up her legs every time she lifted her paws and even more so when they touched the ground. Her belly was sliding painfully across the rocky ground, but she didn't have the energy to hold herself up properly. All she could do was drag her bruised and bloody body, a little at a time.

And fight the pain. If she let it get the better of her, she would collapse, and even if she didn't submit to death, the vultures would get her. No way was she going to die like that. Not after everything she worked towards, everything she had planned. Yet she could feel it all slipping further and further from her as if it were bleeding away with her own flagging energy. How was she supposed to go on like this?

_They'll know now. They'll know and they'll be ready. They must have heard the rockslide. They could be coming after me right now. If they find me, I'll never escape them. They'll trap me and wait for me to die and he'll have won. I'll be defeated by Simba._

_No. _She shook her head, fighting the delirious thoughts that were now slithering into her mind. She couldn't give up. She had come too close. Simba would not take her life the way he took Scar's. She was too good for that.

But even sheer determination wasn't enough to sustain her for long. She could no longer hold back the faint cries of pain as she forced herself to keep going, to keep fighting for a little longer. How far had she gone from the gorge? How far did she have to go before finding a respite? Where _was _she even going?

The only place she could think of that offered safety was Mount Tempest, but there was no way she could make it all the way back in her current condition. There had to be someone who could find her. But who? The lions that were with her had all died in the landslide...

_The landslide... _She felt a short surge of driving energy as she remembered. She had looked up to see a lion standing over the gorge, watching them. He might have been a Pridelander. Before she could react, an ominous rumbling had filled the gorge, and the next thing she knew, she was running for her life as a cataclysm of boulders rained down on them and killed fifteen of her lions. Before she was pinned down by one of the smaller rocks, she had seen the mysterious lion being pulled back by someone. And she had heard a voice calling his name, and she had no doubt it was his name. When she later regained consciousness, she focused on remembering the name as she slowly pulled herself out from under the rock and feebly crawled away. She would find the one who the name belonged to.

Kopa.

_When I find that one, I'll make him pay._

She tried to hold onto this thought, to use it to maintain her resolve. But the idea of pure vengeance was not enough, and she slowed down as a numbing feeling overtook her. It was almost comforting, and as the blissful sensation spread to her entire body, another thought entered her mind. This one would strengthen her, and allow her to hold onto her ebbing life even as she began to lose consciousness.

_Mother. I won't die like this. I'll live to reclaim what is mine, and you're going to be proud of me._

"Janga!"

Through her hazy and blurred vision, she saw a trio of silhouettes making their way over to her still form, but she couldn't quite tell who they were. The voice sounded familiar though...

It looked like someone had found her. Whether it was friend or foe, Janga had no strength to muster to protect herself or even answer the call. Unable to fight off the fatigue anymore, she slipped away into unconsciousness.

※※※

"Be gentle," said Kivuli anxiously. "She's in very bad condition." She didn't move at all as one of the lions carefully slipped their injured leader onto her back. She could feel Janga's blood soaking her fur, but she wasn't particularly concerned about that.

"Where are we going?" asked the first lion. "We can't bring her back to Mount Tempest, she might not make it."

"If we go that far, she _won't _make it, Kupinga," said Kivuli. "I'm taking her back to our camp. I'll treat her once we're there." There were two score of lions at the camp, which made up most of the pride. Save for Jeraha's team and a few others guarding Mount Tempest, everyone was gathered there, waiting for Janga to ambush the Pridelanders before joining them in the battle. Except something had obviously gone wrong.

"So now what?" asked Taya, the other lion. "I guess we're calling off the attack."

"Of course we are," Kivuli said tersely. "You two head back to the gorge. See if you can find any other survivors from...whatever happened. I'll send others out after you once I reach camp and make sure Janga is out of danger."

"They might have been ambushed," protested Kupinga. "We can't go if sixteen lions were attacked like that—"

"No one gets left behind," Kivuli snapped, reminding him of the pride's lifelong oath to each other. "If there are any enemies, make yourselves scarce. Wait for me to send help if you have to, but neither of you are leaving that gorge if there's even one of ours that's still alive back there. Do as I say."

Taya gave his fellow lion a hard, insistent look before turning around and running off to the not-so-distant gorge behind them. Kupinga hesitated before meeting Kivuli's eyes for a brief moment; the steely look in her eyes was enough to make him look away immediately and he hurried off as well.

She didn't stop to watch them go. She turned around and headed on her way to the camp, which thankfully wasn't too far, but all the same, she resisted the urge to rush, knowing that a simple fall could be fatal to Janga at the moment. Still, the trickles of blood that seeped onto her fur didn't cause her physical discomfort but made her feel uneasy, as if reminding her that her leader's time was running out.

She hadn't let the others see it, but it scared her to see Janga like this. Kivuli held no illusions that anyone was truly invincible, but she had always expected Janga to be one step ahead of everyone else, even her. They had grown up under Scar's cruel reign together, escaped him when he sought to kill Janga, survived living on their own, and formed a pride that was more of a family than that tyrant ever had been to her. And it was because of Janga's strong will that they had accomplished all of it. To see her so badly hurt, so vulnerable, it gave Kivuli doubts. Was Simba so strong that he was able to stop their carefully constructed plan dead in its tracks?

There was no time to think on this now. Kivuli had almost reached the camp, and she would need to act fast. They could always figure things out later, and even though she was used to thinking about a lot of things at once, this was one time where she didn't want even the smallest distractions in her mind. If she lost Janga due to her own carelessness, she would never forgive herself.

_I promised to take care of you when we set out from the Pridelands all those years ago. I don't intend on breaking that promise now._

* * *

**[Original Character Names]**

**Janga:** Disaster

**Kivuli:** Shadow

**Kupinga:** Protest

**Taya:** Jaws

**[Canon Character Names]  
**

**Simba:** Lion

**Kopa:** Heart


	2. The Runaway Heir

"_I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain_.  
_I'm going to the place where love and feeling good don't ever cost a thing_.  
_And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain_,

_I'm going home, back to the place where I belong,_  
_And where your love has always been enough for me_.  
_I'm not running from, no, I think you've got me all wrong,_  
_I don't regret this life I chose for me_.  
_But these places and these faces are getting old,_  
_So I'm going home._"

—Daughtry

* * *

As soon as Simba and his team made it back to Pride Rock, the nine lionesses with him turned to look at him in unison, silently asking for permission to disperse. He nodded, and they immediately went their separate ways, eager to relax after the long, tiring day. From morning to sundown, they had been digging out as much of the rubble as they could from the collapsed gorge. After uncovering no less than six lion carcasses, it became clear that there was nothing to be found. Deciding not to wear everyone out by digging fruitlessly, Simba ordered them to return to Pride Rock. They were the last team to do so, and at the moment the pride wanted only to get some well-deserved rest.

But not him. Now that they were all back, Simba finally put his full attention on the thing that had been on his mind all day. He didn't feel tired in the slightest, despite the fact that he had been digging longer than anyone else. He was far too troubled with what he had learned in the gorge, and the gruesome deaths that had befallen the lions there was just a small part of it.

The two lionesses he was looking for were sitting inside the royal den, side by side. They both turned their heads simultaneously when he entered, as if they were expecting him to approach them.

"Simba," said Nala, his mate. "You're finally back. Did your team find anything?"

Simba shook his head, but just stood before her, staring at her expectantly. She looked down, avoiding his gaze and continued talking with a forced casualness. "Oh, well that's too bad. Are you going back tomorrow? You know everyone's exhausted—"

"Sit down, Simba," said his mother Sarabi, cutting off Nala's distracting questions in a voice that was just as resigned but more resolute. "You've had a long day."

He did as she said, knowing that she was ready to discuss what the three of them were all thinking about. Nala was still looking down, fidgeting with her paws and looking nothing like her usual composed, confident self.

"I expect you're wondering why I never told you about your half-sister Janga," Sarabi said. "I could explain my reasons right now, but I think if I tell you the whole story, you'll understand well enough."

Simba nodded. His mother closed her eyes and sighed, collecting her thoughts and thinking of where to begin.

"After your father died, I gave up my position as queen immediately. The title meant nothing to me without Mufasa. And I would rather have been a common lioness than be Scar's queen."

"So why did—"

"Simba, wait," she said, a little sharply. "Let me finish. I thought that Scar would leave me alone if I just blended in with the others. But sometimes I could see him watching me, picking me out from the other lionesses. I didn't like to imagine what could be going through his mind. Still, I ignored him, avoided his company. I spent most of my days out hunting so I could be as far away from him as I could." She lowered her voice. "Then one day he decided he needed an heir."

"And he went straight for you," said Simba angrily. He didn't think it was possible for his despicable uncle to sink any lower in his exploits as a usurping ruler, but it didn't shock him terribly either.

"Actually," Nala said quietly, looking up slowly to meet his eyes for the first time. "Scar tried to seduce me first."

"What?" Simba shouted, ignoring the heads that turned their way at his exclamation. "And did he...you...and him..."

"No," she said quickly. "The others protected me. They refused to listen to Scar, mostly because of your mother. Everyone still looked to her as a sort of leader. I guess that's why he went for her next..." she finished.

"I knew what he was telling me," Sarabi sighed. "It was going to me or Nala. So I decided it had better be me."

At these words, Simba felt his anger disappear as quickly as it came. "I'm sorry, mom..." He felt the familiar guilt well up as if he had just stepped into the barren remains of the Pridelands for the first time again. _I should have come back sooner. How did all this happen while I was gone?_

"So Janga was the first one born," she continued. "Scar wasn't too happy, because he wanted a male heir. But we ended up with another female not long after. When the third cub was still female, he let me go and told me I was a curse to him. Then he went to seek out one of the other lionesses."

"Zira," said Nala.

"Yes. But Nuka was weak, far too weak to be his heir, and we all knew it from the day he was born. By then Scar was absolutely convinced that he was cursed, and told Zira to find someone else to bear his successor. He wasn't going to harm Nuka, because he was the only son he had. Still, I never would have guessed he would have dared lay a paw on his own daughters." She looked down, and now there were tears in her eyes, filled with a misery that hadn't been present even when she retold Simba of Scar's advances on her. "I conceived them with a monster, yes. But they were my children, just as much as you are, Simba. And Maskini and Hatia were killed in cold blood by their own father when they were barely out of cubhood. They hadn't done _anything _to him. I guess...they really were cursed after all." Sarabi stopped for a moment to allow the teardrops to fall from her eyes and drip onto the cave floor. Simba was silent, sickened by what he had heard. Yes, Scar was cruel and ruthless. He had killed his own brother, tried to kill him, Simba, too. But to take away the lives of two innocent cubs, who had been targeted only because of their status as the king's children, it was just like—

Zira.

But what Scar had done was far, far worse. To feel no love for his cubs at all, even if he fathered them, simply because they were female, and to just kill his own flesh and blood in the blink of an eye as if they had never existed. As if they were nothing to him.

Nala gently wiped a stream of tears off of Sarabi's cheek. The older lioness gave her a small smile, and looked back to Simba. "I managed to hide Janga before Scar found her. I knew she was strong enough to take care of herself, and fast enough to slip away unnoticed. So she left with two others who were her closest friends, Kivuli and Jeraha. I hadn't seen anything of them since. I always thought that I had lost her too..." She wiped away the last of her tears and continued in a more firm voice. "I had always hoped she'd come back after Scar was gone. It looks like she finally has. But as much as I hate to say it...I have a bad feeling about this. Why Janga got so close to the Pridelands without anyone knowing it. I fear she may be after the throne, which she believes she has a birthright to."

"It might have been bad luck," Nala pointed out, having also returned to her usual self. "She could have been in the gorge for any number of reasons. She could have just been on her way here and got caught in the rockslide."

"Either way, I think we need to spread out and find her," said Sarabi. "If she's hurt and needs our help, then I want to be there for her."

"And if she's a threat to the pride?" Simba asked slowly, speaking at last.

His mother said nothing.

※※※

Kopa was lost for words when he saw the mighty form of Mount Kilimanjaro looming over them. He had seen it from a long way off as a rise off the horizon, but it took a half-day's journey to get close enough to be covered by its enormous shadow. _I definitely wouldn't have been able to find Shira Hollow on my own._

None of the others seemed to share his awe, since he was the only one among the group who hadn't been here before. Malka, the pride king, saw his expression and grinned. "Don't worry, young Kopa. You won't have to climb it. At least, not all the way up."

They had to make a short climb, but it wasn't too bad. Although Kopa wasn't used to climbing, he didn't have much trouble with it. He was more concerned with accidentally slipping off the ledge. Even though it wouldn't be a fatal drop, it would still hurt a lot if he tumbled all the way down. _And I don't like heights more than anything, even deep water..._

He turned his eyes to the lion that was walking quietly alongside Malka. His best friend Tumaini hadn't said a word during their entire trek across the outskirts of the Pridelands. At first, Kopa wondered if his friend was just surprised to see his father. But he didn't act surprised, or in fact, happy in the slightest. In fact, he seemed pretty dejected.

Was it the rockslide? Did he become overwhelmed with guilt when he saw that he killed sixteen lions in the blink of an eye? Kopa had misgivings of his own, but it was different for Tumaini. He looked as if he had killed his friends, or his own family...

Kopa suddenly remembered that when they had met near the gorge, Tumaini had already been on his way back from Mount Kilimanjaro and left Siri there. That meant he had already met his father, and for some reason, left alone. Kopa didn't even know who Malka was since he was never mentioned in the years they had lived together; Tumaini didn't say anything about him after going separate ways from Siri. _This is all so confusing. I'll get some answers out of Tumaini when he feels like talking._

Malka stopped them at a gap in the rock that Kopa hadn't even seen a moment ago. It was a large crevice, but tucked into the surrounding rocks so well that he wouldn't have spotted it from any side of the mountain, or even from a higher ledge. Without prompting, the lions formed lines and entered the tunnel three at a time, clearly having been drilled through the procedure before. Kopa followed, blinking to adjust his vision to the darkness and careful not to get scraped on the jagged walls.

※※※

Siri saw them enter all the way from her resting spot in the top alcoves. The glowing blue-white fungi and plants that grew all over the inside of the cavern gave off enough light for her to see the silhouettes entering through the tunnel, but she couldn't make out their features. Still, the twenty-odd lions making their way into the hollow couldn't be anyone else but Malka and his lions.

Immediately, her thoughts flew to Tumaini. Had Malka found him? Had he brought him back? And was Kopa with them too? Why were they back so soon? Surely they couldn't have fought off Janga already...

For the umpteenth time, she ignored Hamu's advice to take it easy with her paws and started making her way down the stone bridges that weaved throughout the hollow. She made it down to the ground level just in time to see Kopa and Tumaini enter the cavern, both looking unharmed. In fact, not even one of the lions who had come back looked like they left for a fight just yesterday. What exactly had happened?

Kopa was looking around at the interior of Shira Hollow, silent with awe. Tumaini, however, was gazing straight at Siri. She saw a smile enter his face that showed a sort of weary relief, but he still held the melancholy expression that was present as soon as she saw him. Whatever was troubling him, she wanted to know when they had a bit more privacy. So all she said to him was, "You came back."

He nodded. "My father wants to have a word with me," he said.

"Okay." She watched as he headed up the network of bridges with Malka, content to see that they had reconciled. Deciding to give them a bit of space, she turned to look at Kopa, who was still standing next to the entrance, gazing up into the network of stone bridges in wonder. She grinned at the look on his face. "Welcome to Shira Hollow, Kopa. Come on, I'll show you around."

※※※

Siri took Kopa around the base of Shira Hollow, and he seemed fascinated with the natural illumination the cave held, and the way the other lions slept in roomy niches carved from the walls. But when she offered to show him the upper levels, he became apprehensive.

"I don't like heights," he said in a small voice.

"It's safe, come on," she reassured him. His paws seemed to have frozen though.

"What if you jump and miss it?"

"You won't. The bridges are all spaced very closely together and none of them are too high from each other."

"Or if you fall off the bridge? Or you slip—"

"Kopa, it's okay," she said sympathetically. "We don't have to go if you don't want to." She led him to a nearby alcove to rest, and to take his mind off the matter of heights, she asked him what had happened after they went their separate ways.

Kopa explained how he was caught in the earthquake, ended up in the Outlands, searched for water, and ended up in trouble with some hyenas. When he mentioned that he was found by Fujo and guided into the Pridelands, Siri gave him a look of surprise.

"You met Fujo?" she asked.

"Yeah. You know him?"

"Of course I know him! He's Malka's brother, and he was leading Janga's pride on a false trail, away from here."

_That makes sense. _He recalled how Fujo told him he was involved in the entire incident of Janga taking over Mount Tempest. Kopa wondered where he was now and if he was still leading the enemy pride away from Kilimanjaro.

"So," Siri said. "What happened after he took you into the Pridelands?"

Kopa told her how he and Tumaini met at the gorge, and how they spotted Janga and some of her lions making their way through the gorge. How they had decided to try and cross the gorge to warn the Pridelanders, and how he had cracked open the side of the cliff and accidentally started a rockslide that buried Janga's team completely.

"And they all died, just like that," she said quietly. She had no attachments to Janga and her pride, but the idea of so many lives being taken so ruthlessly was daunting. "From a single rock that broke off..."

"It was the earthquake," said Kopa. "Tumaini was lost for words. I didn't like it either, but...he just seized up."

"But you did it. You stopped her. And Malka was right, you saved a lot of bloodshed."

"I suppose." There was no satisfaction in his voice. "So now what? Is Malka going to try to bring the pride back to your home?"

"Janga has two friends that would probably take over her pride. You already met one of them, Jeraha, in the forest."

Kopa gave a slight shudder at the thought of the burly lion and the unpleasant brawl they had while trying to bring Siri to safety.

"The other one is called Kivuli. She's Janga's advisor of sorts. If she takes over the pride, then we haven't won yet. We might need help from the Pridelanders if we want to take back Mount Tempest." She stopped talking and looked over Kopa's shoulder. He turned around and saw Tumaini approaching their nook, looking more cheerful than when he had gone up. Kopa shifted to make room for him.

"Tumaini," Siri said rather abruptly. "I...I want to thank you for helping me, and for bringing me here. I want to thank both of you."

"He deserves most of the credit," Kopa said modestly, giving a knowing smile to his friend.

"I just wanted to tell you," she continued. "Since I didn't get the chance yesterday."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere now," Tumaini said lightly. "My father has asked me to come back into the pride, and I said yes. He also wants you to stay, Kopa."

The offer caught Kopa off guard. "Me?"

Tumaini actually laughed. "Yes. What did you expect? He did bring you all the way here for a reason."

"Yes, but...I thought...because Janga..."

"We'll have to talk to him about that soon. But I told him how long you've been with me, and he wants you to stay. Besides, where else would you go?"

Kopa didn't answer, but not because he didn't have one. But he could visualize Pride Rock, inhabited by lions who remained faceless in his mind's eye, yet they seemed to beckon to him. He had even contemplated going there while he was journeying to Shira Hollow. But he knew immediately that it would be a ridiculous idea if he suggested it to Tumaini; to leave his friends and go live with a bunch of lions he didn't even know? Even he couldn't discern why he wanted to go there.

He simply nodded, deciding to put the thoughts of Pride Rock out of his mind. There was something else to be discussed at the moment anyway. "Tumaini, you told me that you had no memory of your past. That you were like me."

Tumaini's smile faded. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, but you didn't need to know."

"Well, I do now."

His friend looked away. "Do you?"

"Yes. If you don't want to tell me what happened, at least tell me why you kept it to yourself."

"No, I'll tell you. And I'll tell you too, Siri, if my father hasn't already." He sighed. "When I was growing up, I was the miscreant in the pride. I didn't listen to my parents a whole lot, especially not my father. He always argued with my mother. I'd run off all the time, sometimes I'd take my brother Afua with me. We'd get in trouble when we got back, but I didn't care."

_Afua? _Kopa had never heard anyone mention the name, nor had he seen Tumaini's brother with Malka or in the hollow. Yet something about the name made him feel as if he had heard it before. But from whom, he didn't know. And for some reason, the name made him think of Pride Rock, along with that same undefined connection he felt to it.

"My kid brother was something of an annoyance to me too, so I'd try and give him the slip whenever I sneaked off. If we got caught, I blamed him for not being quiet enough. Still, he stuck with me, and trusted me. I never figured out why." There was a slight smile on Tumaini's face that held a touch of sadness, mirrored by the faraway look in his eyes. "So here's what happened one night when I really made a mess of things..."

* * *

**[Original Character Names]**

**Tumaini:** Hope

**Siri:** Secret

**Jeraha:** Wound

**Fujo: **Aggressive**  
**

**Hamu:** Eager

**Maskini:** Wretched

**Hatia:** Innocent

**[Canon Character Names]**

**Sarabi:** Mirage

**Nala:** Prosperity

**Malka:** Queen

**Afua:** Forgiveness

**Mufasa:** King

**Zira:** Hate

**Nuka:** Stink


	3. Of Cowards and Fools

"_Tumaini!" called Afua, spotting his older brother slipping out of the hollow and eagerly dashing up to him. "Tumaini, where are you going?"_

_Tumaini winced and clamped one paw over his younger brother's mouth. "Keep your voice down, pipsqueak. Do you want me to get caught?"_

"_You always get caught," the cub mumbled even though he couldn't speak clearly._

"_That's because you always make so much noise."_

"_I promise I'll be quiet this time. Can I come with you?" Afua's eyes were wide with pleading._

_Tumaini thought about it. He doubted that his brother would actually be capable of staying quiet. But then again, the kid might snitch him out if he made him stay behind. And besides, he could always ditch him once they were away from Mount Tempest. "Okay. Fine."_

"_Alrigh—!" Afua whooped, but was muted by his brother again._

"_I said be quiet," Tumaini hissed. "Now come on."_

_They managed to sneak out of the mountain without any of the other lions seeing them. Outside, Tumaini could hear his parents arguing in heated voices, not caring who was around to hear it. He gave a low grunt of disdain but tuned out as usual so he wouldn't have to hear the malicious words the pride king and queen were flinging at each other. Afua, however, didn't seem to ignore it so easily._

"_They fight every day," he said quietly. "And mom always looks so sad after they stop talking. Why are they being so mean, Tumaini? I thought mates were supposed to love each other."_

_For once, Tumaini didn't feel the need to tell Afua to be quiet. It was a question he used to ask himself, but now he just learned to live with the discontent that stirred within his family. And sooner or later his kid brother would have to learn it too. "It just happens, squirt."_

"_You think Fujo will do something?"_

"_Probably." Fujo was always the peacemaker when there was a fight between Malka and Kumi. Although he couldn't do much to make them stay on good terms, Tumaini appreciated that he was the voice of reason that stood between them. Sometimes Fujo even looked after him and Afua when things got really bad._

_They slipped into the field of grass that was tall enough to cover them completely. Malka and Kumi were standing not far off, both facing away from the mountain exit and too caught up with arguing that they seemed oblivious to anything else. "Look how angry they are," Afua whispered. "I don't want to leave, what if they get that angry at me?"_

_Tumaini felt a twinge of irritation. He wasn't sure if it was because of his brother's apprehension, or if he was sick of looking at his parents doing nothing but bicker. But before he realized what he was saying, he said, "Look, squirt, we've run off plenty of times before. And they never get angry at you. It's always me they blame it on, don't you see? So keep going before you really do get me in trouble. Or are you going to be a coward? That's what mom always calls dad—are you like that too? Do you want to be called a coward?"_

"_No," said Afua immediately. "I'm not a coward. And I'm not like our parents."_

"_That's the spirit. Follow me."_

_From the looks of things, things were at an all-time low for Malka and Kumi. They looked like they were close to attacking each other. Tumaini decided to get away from Mount Tempest for a while. Maybe even stay out for a night or two. It wouldn't be the first time, and his parents would be furious, but he really couldn't care less. There was no punishment they could think of that could make him afraid of them, and they hadn't resorted to physically threatening him...yet. _But if they so much as put a paw near me, I won't come back the next time I leave.

"_Where are we going?" Afua asked after a while. He sounded a bit out of breath since they had been going for a while, and his legs were still rather short compared to his brother's. Still, Tumaini wasn't going to babysit him. He didn't ask him to come. Well, it wasn't his idea, at least._

"_I'm meeting some of my friends at the gorge," he said._

"_The gorge? You mean the one near Pride Rock?"_

"_What other gorge could I be talking about?"_

"_But that's really far!"_

"_So? Go back if you want." Tumaini was already beginning to regret dragging Afua along. He wouldn't mind if the kid went back, since they were now quite far from Mount Tempest. At worst, Kumi would probably give him a shouting about letting his brother go so far on his own once he got back._

"_I'm not going back," said Afua with a surprising vigour. "I'm not a coward."_

"_I didn't say you were, squirt."_

"_I'm not going back," the cub repeated. "I...I don't like it when they yell at you."_

_The remark caught Tumaini by surprise. He had thought Afua was a bit of a pest who liked to tag along because he had nothing else to do, or because he liked to get himself into trouble now and then, or because he was just weird like that. But the simple statement he had made one thing clear to Tumaini. The kid didn't stick with him because he was bored or mischievous, but because he was actually picking his brother over their parents._

"_Well...thanks," Tumaini said, a little awkwardly. With just a slight hesitation, he asked, "Hey, you tired?"_

"_A little."_

_He slouched down, lowering himself to the ground. "Climb on." Then he quickly added, "I'm supposed to be at the gorge by sundown. I don't want to be late because of you."_

※※※

_They reached the gorge before it got dark, where five adolescent lions and lionesses were waiting for them. One of the older lionesses, Kafiri, made a scornful face when she saw Afua. "You brought the pipsqueak along again, Tumaini?"_

"_He wanted to come," Tumaini said, instantly feeling defensive. "He wouldn't have shut up otherwise."_

"_Whatever," said Fuada, a rather brawny lion. "You guys want to chase some antelope? I spotted some on the other side of the gorge."_

"_Is there anything more exciting than antelope?" asked Kafiri._

"_No."_

"_Then I'm not crossing an entire gorge to go after antelope. Let's do something else." She looked around, her eyes sweeping over the other lions before settling on Afua. "Let's play hide-and-seek."_

"_All right!" said Afua. The others didn't look so excited._

"_Hide-and-seek?" repeated Fuada. "Don't be such an overgrown cub—"_

_She shot him a glare, then her eyes flicked to Afua briefly. The meaning was clear: the game would be a distraction for the cub, and give everyone else the chance to give him the slip._

"—_alright, hide-and-seek it is," the male lion said, as if that settled the matter._

"_Not it," said the adolescents in unison, sounding indeed like a bunch of overgrown cubs._

"_Not...oh, come on," grumbled Afua, just a bit slower than everyone else._

"_Okay, kid, you know the rules," said Tumaini. "Close your eyes and start counting."_

"_Wait," said Kafiri. "We're not going to be playing up here."  
_  
_Surprised, Tumaini asked, "We're not?"_

"_There's nowhere to hide up here. Especially since we're all easier to find than your brother here. We're all going down there." She pointed with one paw._

_Afua gasped. "Into the gorge?"_

"_That's right. Not scared of the dark, are you?"_

_He eyed it uneasily. The sun had set completely, and shadows were already settling over the chasm. It was getting hard to see very far down. And no one knew exactly what lurked down there at night..._

"_No," the cub said, although his voice was trembling. "I'm not a coward."_

"_Of course not," said Kafiri in an attempt to sound soothing but rather came out as condescending. "And you won't be alone down there, you'll be looking for us. Come on."_

※※※

_As soon as Afua closed his eyes and started counting, the others ran off in all directions and quickly but silently climbed out of the gorge. Tumaini felt a slight uneasiness at leaving him down there, but quickly put it aside. The kid had to toughen up sometime. He saw a few ledges on Pride Rock's side of the gorge that wouldn't be too hard to climb, and began making his way up._

_He was the first one to reach the top of the gorge. To his surprise, he could still make out Afua's small form at the bottom. He was now looking around at the dens that pockmarked the gorge. _He was supposed to count for longer, _Tumaini thought, feeling annoyed even though it was a game they weren't supposed to play anyway. He considered calling down to him, maybe something mocking. But he spotted a small rock nearby and had a better idea. Maybe he would scare the kid a little._

_Tumaini easily tipped the rock over and moved back as it rolled off the cliff. The silence in the gorge was replaced by the sound of it bouncing off the cliff wall. The echoes that soon followed were surprisingly loud._

_Even in the darkness, Afua could see the rock rolling down the side of the cliff. He had ample time to move, not that it was even close enough to hit him. Still, Tumaini could tell that he had scared the kid. He moved over to two other rocks nearby, both of them a bit larger than the first, and pushed one of them into the gorge. _There's no way he can't see that one.

_He rolled the other one off the edge as well, this time looking down to watch Afua running down the gorge, heading towards the mouth where he could climb out. _Come on, squirt. You can run faster than that.

"_What are you doing?"_

_Tumaini turned around to see Kafiri and the others walking up to him. Grinning, he said, "Take a look."_

_The others stared down into the gorge to watch Afua running frantically as the rocks shattered against the unyielding cliff and rained down on him in small fragments. Although Tumaini couldn't make out his face, he had no doubt that he was terrified. A few of the others were laughing hesitantly, although they looked a bit uneasy._

"_I thought we were going to slip off quietly?" said Kafiri, one eyebrow raised._

"_Yeah. This is more fun though."_

"_Some big brother you are," she said with a slight scowl. "Let's go somewhere else before you hurt him."_

"_Since when were you so concerned about the pipsqueak?" he asked defensively. "Besides, he's almost made it out of the—"_

"_Tumaini!"_

_Tumaini looked down in surprise and realized that Afua was looking up at him. _Oops. Forgot to move back. _He looked at Kafiri in annoyance. "Great, you distracted me. Now he's onto me." Not waiting for a reply, he shouted in reply, "You really need to get into shape, kid! Don't tell me you're tired already!" He couldn't see any more boulders nearby, but there was a loose chunk of rock hanging nearly off the side of the cliff. He stamped on it hard, dislodging it and sending it tumbling down the cliff. "Start running, Afua!"_

"_Tumaini, stop!" cried Afua. "You're scaring me!"_

"_I thought you said you weren't a coward, squirt!"_

"_Tumaini, please—"_

_There was a loud _crack _as the rock unexpectedly lodged between a crevice in a sloped part of the cliff. But the force of the impact dislodged more, as it cracked open half the cliff face in the blink of an eye. A hail of lethal, sharp rocks poured down into the gorge at an impossible speed as a massive roar emanated from the abyss. Tumaini froze when he realized what had just happened. Suddenly his taunt became a wordless plea that reverberated in his head. _Run. Run as fast as you can.

_The others were staring down into the gorge in the same silence, frozen and unsure of what to do. No one was laughing now. Tumaini didn't dare see for himself, but just listened to the roar that seemed like it would never end. As it stretched on and the sound of more rocks crashed down below them, his trepidation grew._

_As the calamity died down and everything was silent once more, and somehow it was even more awful than the upheaval he had just unleashed. He could hear his own heart pounding frantically in his chest. As time painstakingly passed by, he could see from his friends' petrified expressions that Afua had not outrun the rockslide._

_Kafiri was the first one to snap out of it. "What is wrong with you!" she yelled, advancing on him. He shrunk back, not because of her anger but because the full extent of what had happened finally hit him. "'Run, Afua, you can do better than that.' You stupid—cruel—"_

_At the sound of her enraged outburst, the others returned to their senses. Fuada turned and broke into a run, and the four others quickly followed. Kafiri waited a moment to cast Tumaini a disgusted look._

"_You'd better run too. And you'd better hope Malka doesn't find you when we tell him what happened..._big brother_." She spat the last two words. And with that, she sprinted off after her friends._

_Tumaini just stood there for a moment. Kafiri's contempt meant nothing. Malka's impending fury would mean nothing either. But he felt as if he had turned to ice at the realization that heightened his mortification the more he thought about it. _I killed Afua. I killed my own brother.

_He couldn't go back. He couldn't face his parents and tell them what he had done and why it happened. _It shouldn't have happened. I didn't have to do it. Why did I do it?

_Kafiri was right. He was going to run away. Not because he was afraid of the consequences that awaited him at Mount Tempest, but because he couldn't trust himself anymore. He couldn't be with anyone that would end up getting hurt from his lack of self-control...his carelessness...his _stupidity_..._

_Tumaini turned and ran in the opposite direction, heading down to the other end of the gorge. He had no idea how far he would go, or where he was going, or what he was going to do. It didn't matter. He would be alone from now on. He ran as fast as he could, as if he could outrun his own guilt if he left the gorge behind. The sound of Afua calling his named echoed in his head, and he knew that his brother's last pleas would haunt him for the rest of his life._

※※※

"It took the others a while to get back to Mount Tempest, because they couldn't cut across the gorge after the rockslide," Tumaini said. "My father says he didn't see them until two days later. My mother became ill with grief and died not long after. She lost the will to live, I guess. I was responsible for that too."

Kopa was silent, overwhelmed by the events of the entire story. He couldn't imagine Tumaini being anything like the way he had described himself, and yet, it explained so much. Except for one thing, at least...

"As for me, I settled in a cave just off the river not far from Pride Rock," Tumaini continued heavily. "It was lonely, and I had nothing to do but just live day by day. I wasn't happy, but at that point I didn't think I deserved to be. I hated myself." He looked up and he stared directly at Kopa's eyes. "And then I found you, Kopa. When I pulled you out of the river, you weren't looking so good. I wanted more than anything for you to live, even though I had no idea who you were. I felt like I needed to keep you safe. Maybe I thought that if I did, it would make up for me killing my own brother. But who was I kidding. Even now I still don't know if I'll ever get over it. My father says they never found his body...

"But I'm very glad I found you. After you entered my life, there were times I could feel happy again. I was happy when you were happy. I was living for you instead of myself, so I had a purpose. You were my second chance...I just didn't want you to know what I was like before. I didn't want you to be ashamed of me."

Kopa thought about this for a moment. He remembered as he grew up how he had always admired Tumaini, the one friend who had stuck by him no matter what and the constant reminder of the reason he was alive. He gave his friend a gentle smile. "I could never think that, Tumaini. To me, you'll always be the lion who saved my life and brought me up as your own...son." He refrained from saying "younger brother", as he didn't want to think of himself as a replacement for Afua. "I don't know what happened to me the day I fell into the river, but I would have died if it wasn't for you. So in a way, you were my second chance too."

Tumaini suddenly realized that he was crying, and quickly tried to hide it by turning away and squeezing his eyes shut. He was startled to feel a paw on his face, wiping away his tears. He realized that it was Kopa's.

_That was why I didn't tell you before. I never want to make those mistakes again._

* * *

**[Original Character Names]  
**

**Kumi:** Ten**  
**

**Kafiri:** Infidel**  
**

**Fuata:** Follow**  
**

* * *

******[Author's Note]  
**

******Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I really appreciate that you're so willing to share your thoughts on the story so far even though we're only two chapters in. Thank you all so much for your support, and I'm glad you more or less unanimously find this story better than the last one. I am aiming to improve with each story, so this is a very good sign and your interest in reading more is very encouraging to me.  
**


	4. A Change in the Plans

Janga regained consciousness sooner than Kivuli had expected. When she first saw her injuries, she had expected it to be days before her leader would be able to even stir and groan deliriously. But she was more relieved than surprised, and Janga had always been of strong character.

"I've brought you back to the hideout camp," Kivuli told her. "I didn't want to move you while you were unconscious, but we should head back to Mount Tempest soon."

Janga gave a nod of agreement, and Kivuli was thankful that she wasn't going to argue. She was afraid that she might have to do a bit of persuading in case her leader actually wanted to continue the attack.

"Kivuli, have you heard from Jeraha?"

"Not yet. But if he's found Malka, he should have sent someone back to Mount Tempest to let us know."

"Then we should get going."

Kivuli was surprised. "Now?"

"Yes, now. I don't want us to be so close to Pride Rock for too long, especially if we're not going to do anything. I don't want to keep everyone waiting around."

"But your safety comes first, Janga..."

"I can walk. And if you're so concerned about my safety, then I suggest we put a bit more distance from this place."

"Rest for one more day, at least. I've sent Taya and Kupinga back to the gorge to see if anyone else survived. We have to wait for them to return anyway."

Janga sighed. "Fine. One day, and that's it."

"Something on your mind?" Kivuli asked, ever the perceptive one. "You seem impatient to get back to Mount Tempest."

Her friend looked down at the fang-shaped birthmark that was embedded in her right paw. "Were you wondering how I ended up in this state, Kivuli?"

"I didn't want to ask until you were willing to tell me."

"Taya and Kupinga won't find any survivors. I just know it. We didn't get outmatched. Fifteen of my best lions couldn't be wiped out like that in a fight. No, we were caught by surprise by a single lion named Kopa. He waited until we were in the gorge and brought a rockslide down on us. He's either from Simba's pride or Malka's, and I want to find him. So as soon as everyone is regrouped at Mount Tempest, I want to form ambush teams. We're going to capture every lion we can until either they tell us where this Kopa is or we bring him in ourselves."

※※※

Simba had gathered entire the pride and told them about Janga and the possible threat that she posed. He then assigned most of the lions into teams of five and had them all prepare to head off in different directions. He left about a score of lions who would be staying behind to guard Pride Rock and to also maintain order among the other animals. This task he assigned to Kovu, who would be acting as pride leader. Simba knew he would rather be helping out in locating Janga, but the young lion accepted the responsibility without complaint.

Kiara was also told to stay, although she objected to this as she always did. However, Simba had a number of reasons for keeping her with the pride, but he just told her that she needed to practice leading the pride as much as her mate did. Sarabi also agreed to stay as an advisor for them, since Simba needed Zazu to accompany his search team.

Although his reasoning for Kiara staying behind was sound, there actually was something else that concerned him more. Lately, she seemed to be experiencing physical discomfort, especially in the mornings. Simba wondered if her fall during the earthquake had caused lasting damage, and wished he had time to check her over more carefully, but she assured him that it wasn't constant or even a big problem. He would have to see how she was when he got back, but right now he had to force himself not to think about it and focus on ensuring that the pride wasn't in danger of being overrun.

As Simba set out with his party, which consisted of Mateka, Afua, Tama, Kula, and of course Zazu, he stopped momentarily to watch as Nala's party headed off in another direction. They would only be apart for a short while, but even so, he felt pangs of anxiety that he would not be able to see her and know that she wasn't in danger. _She's a tough lioness. She can take care of herself. She did just fine after my father died and Scar took over the Pridelands..._

Simba led the party further from Pride Rock, his thoughts now occupied by Janga and if she was anything like Scar. The fact that she was sneaking through the gorge with fifteen lions was suspicious, but what if he had it all wrong and she was simply coming back now that her evil father was no longer king? Perhaps she had been looking to come back home and had run into misfortune, just like Nala had said.

_So why did she head away from Pride Rock after she made it out of the rockslide?_ She was born while Scar was king, and would probably believe that the right to the throne belonged to her. And there was no getting around the fact that her potential return to reclaim her title made her sound almost similar to Simba, which made him rather uneasy. _If I hadn't come back, then she might have been the one to defeat Scar, and restore peace. Unless she's like him...but is she? If he drove her off like that, she can't be all that bad..._

Filled with uncertainty, Simba sighed and glanced at the lions he had picked to be in his party. When he picked Mateka, her mother Tama had insisted on coming along too, and he couldn't really bring himself to say no to her. Somehow, even though they were both grown up and he was the king, he couldn't help but feel that she was still the same feisty lioness she was as a cub that never seemed to see him as capable of making smart decisions on his own.

_Or maybe she just wants to look out for Mateka. I can't blame her. _Tama's mate, Tojo, was one of Simba's childhood friends, but he hadn't seen him ever since he took back the Pridelands from Scar. From what he had heard, Tojo had made it clear that he was no threat to Scar and was one of the few males allowed to stay, but after everyone found out that he had impregnated Tama, he had been banished and was never seen since. He had disappeared not long before the end of Scar's reign, something that made Simba wish even more that he had returned sooner.

Kula had suffered a similar loss. She had chosen Chumvi as her mate and they had managed to keep their relationship a secret up until the day she had given birth to twins, Babu and Boga. Chumvi was driven away by Scar and no one in the pride knew where he went. Although Kula and Chumvi had been more of Nala's friends, Simba still felt bad for what had happened and wouldn't have happened had he confronted Scar sooner. Yes, males had to leave the pride and start their own when the time came, but he would have never separated a family like that...

And of course, there was Afua. Once an eager, headstrong cub, but had become very quiet and reserved ever since Kopa had died. And although Simba knew the two were best friends, he was surprised by how much Afua had changed since then.

Simba still remembered the day he had found Afua as a cub, lying injured and unconscious in the rockslide. He had no idea who he was or where he was from, but nonetheless brought him back to Pride Rock as carefully as he could. Thanks to Rafiki, Afua made a fairly quick recovery and was welcomed into the pride. But he seemed very sad at first and didn't answer any questions regarding the rockslide or where he was from.

Simba wondered if he had a difficult childhood or wasn't even from a pride, so he didn't press the point and told his son to keep him company. Thanks to Kopa, Afua learned to become happy again...until the day Kopa was lost to them thanks to Zira. Now, as an adolescent nearing adulthood, Simba knew Afua was almost at the age to set out and start his pride. Yet he didn't know if he had the heart to send the quiet young lion away and take from him the closest thing he had to a family.

_I'll let him stay for now. I'll wait for him to bring it up, if that's what he wants. _But if Simba had to be honest with himself, he didn't want Afua to leave the pride.

_He's all I have to remind myself of Kopa. If I let him go, I feel like I'll lose whatever I have left of my son._

※※※

"Malka, can I have a word with you?"

Malka looked up to see Siri climbing up onto the topmost ledge where he was sitting, lost in thought. He was surprised at the request, but said, "Yes, what is it?"

She got straight to the point. "I...I wanted to tell you I'm giving up my inheritance to the throne."

"What?"

"Well, now that Tumaini's back, it's his future title, right? I mean...I can't take that away from him." He didn't respond to this right away, and noticing his hesitation, Siri asked, "Do you trust him again?"

"I trust him, Siri. It'll take time to rebuild what we've lost, but we've reached an understanding during our talk. But don't you think it's a little soon to make this decision?"

"If you trust him, then there's no question about it. It's his birthright, and I know he'll make a fine leader one day."

Malka nodded slowly, although he still looked uncertain. He watched as she stepped off the ledge and headed back down the hollow. She wasn't just making the decision out of selflessness. There was something else to it, he could see it. In fact, he had seen it just yesterday, when she persuaded him to go find Tumaini.

"_I'll keep going until I have to crawl. When I can't do that, I'll push myself until I either find him or die trying."_

She held a great respect and gratitude for Tumaini, but it went beyond just what he had done for her. She could see his kindness and compassion from the day that they met, and Malka could see the same admiration for him that was reflected in Kopa. That young lion was a fine creature, and was undoubtedly the product of Tumaini's rearing him. His son had found atonement in Kopa, and perhaps something else when he had rescued Siri, for she had saved him from his self-loathing by breaking through to Malka and bringing them back together.

_It seems I was right to pick her as my heir,_ he thought with a slight smile. _It would be a shame to take away her title, because she too would make a great leader. But perhaps she has not yet lost that chance..._

※※※

Siri was halfway down the cavern when she saw Tumaini making his way up the opposite direction. The two lions spotted each other and stopped.

"What were you doing up there?" he asked.

"I talked to your father. He's agreed to pass the inheritance back to you."

"Oh...that's good, I guess." He frowned. "Wait a minute, who was the heir before?"

"Me."

"What? And you gave it up because...?"

"Because you're Malka's successor by blood. The title is rightfully yours."

This caught him off guard. "Hold on, wait. I just got back and he already agreed to this? But I've been away for so long, I...I don't even know how to run a pride!"

"Relax, Tumaini. You still have a lot of time to learn."

"I don't get it. Don't you want the throne?"

_Maybe I do,_ she thought. _But I don't want a title I wasn't born with if I don't have a good king to rule it with. _"That's not the point. You have a birthright, and what I want doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," he insisted. "I didn't come back here and take away something that was yours, just because _I have a birthright_—"

"I've already made my decision, and Malka said yes. Don't make such a big deal out of it, it's not what I want anyway." _What I do want doesn't matter to you either. I could never be unfair to you, after everything you've done for me._

Tumaini was at a loss for words. _She doesn't want the throne. I guess I can believe that, but..._ Malka had told him how he had come looking for him because of what Siri had said. _She would have died trying to bring me back, and here I am, taking her place as the future ruler_. There was one option that would mean she could regain the title, but... _She doesn't want that. And besides, it'd be asking for more than that, and I don't know if she would want that either..._

"You have to give yourself more credit," he told her. "My father thinks very highly of you, and you'd probably do a better job of ruling the pride than me. Sure you don't want that?" He had to ask, just in case she had similar thoughts to the ones running through his mind.

She nodded and answered without hesitation. "Positive."

The answer was disappointing, but he would respect her decision. He could never force her to take on something that would make her unhappy. _She's already brought my father and I back together. I don't want to ask any more of her._

Tumaini gave a start when Malka suddenly leaped past him and kept heading further downward. He suddenly noticed that every lion was staring down at the entrance of the hollow. He and Siri quickly followed his father, and as they got closer to the bottom level, they saw a black-maned lion standing at the end of the tunnel entrance.

Malka was approaching the lion, and Kopa was walking over too. There was a spark of recognition in his eyes, even though Tumaini couldn't quite remember who the newcomer was.

Then Malka spoke. "Fujo. You've returned, brother."

* * *

**[Original Character Names]**

**Mateka:** Prisoner

**[Canon Character Names]  
**

**Kovu:** Scar

**Kiara:** Clarity (Latin)

**Tama:** Jewel

**Kula:** Eat

**Zazu:** Movement (Hebrew)

**Tojo:** Slash

**Chumvi:** Salt

**Babu:** Grandfather

**Boga:** Pumpkin

**Rafiki:** Friend


	5. Rogues in the Pridelands

Kiara looked out across the Pridelands, which stretched far beyond the horizon even from the tall summit of Pride Rock where she was sitting. She remembered how Simba would bring her here when she was a cub. They would watch the sunrise in silence, and sometimes he would impart some words of wisdom to her. She would hardly understand most of the things he told her, but sometimes she would ask him questions and his words were still fresh in her mind.

"_Daddy, why do I have to be the future queen?" she had asked him once._

"_Because you are my daughter," Simba had replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

"_But I didn't do anything for it. Why can't Boga or Mateka or someone else be queen?"_

_Her father didn't say anything right away. He thought for a long time, trying to figure out how to give an answer that Kiara would understand. "Being queen isn't easy," he said at last. "You're the princess, so it is your birthright. But you will have to learn many things about being a kind and fair ruler before you become queen. Every animal and living thing in the kingdom will be under your care and you must learn to treat them all equally."_

"_So I don't get to do whatever I want?"_

_Simba chuckled at this. "Being a king or queen means you have to make your choices carefully. In a way, you are serving them."_

"_Well, that's no fun. Can't I ask someone else to rule the kingdom?"_

"_No, only the prince or princess has the right to the title."_

"_So what if you have another daughter?"_

"_You'd still have to be queen because you'll still be the oldest."_

"_A son then?"_

_Simba closed his eyes. "The law of the pride says that males are first in line to the throne. So yes, if you had a brother, he would be king even if he was younger than you."_

"_Do you think you'll have a son, daddy?"_

_His eyes slowly opened again, and he turned to look at her with something like sadness._

"_No," he sighed. "I don't think I will."_

Kiara realized that Simba had been thinking of Kopa at the time. She wished that she had gotten the chance to know her older brother; all she knew of him was what her parents had told her a few nights ago, along with a single recollection from when she was a newborn.

The sun had risen now and it bathed the Pridelands in a warm light. She watched as the other lions padded out of the royal den one by one. Everything could be seen much more clearly now, and she could even spot the outline of the gorge in the distance. _That's where Kopa fell into the river. And Zira. _She could remember the wicked lioness' last moments, slipping down the side of the cliff and refusing Kiara's attempts to help pull her out. Had Zira been thinking of the terrible deed she had committed at that same gorge so many years ago? Did she feel any remorse before she fell to her demise?

"Kiara?"

She jumped a little at the sound of the voice. Turning around, she saw that Kovu was standing right behind her.

"Kings above, Kovu, how do you do that?" she yelped.

"Lots and lots of practice," he replied with a grin. "One of us has to know how to move quietly."

"Hey, I got up this morning without waking you, didn't I?" she pointed out. "So, what is it?"

His expression became serious. "Nothing. Just checking up on you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." It was more than that, actually. This morning had been the first in a while when she hadn't woken up with her head spinning or a pinching tension in her gut. It was quite a relief, since it had been keeping her awake at night and waking her up early, and she hoped that the problem, whatever it was, was passing, or at least getting better.

"Kiara, I need you to be honest with me," Kovu insisted. "You woke up before everyone else again, and if you think there's something wrong—"

"Nothing's wrong, really. I was just thinking."

"About Kopa?"

"How did you know?" Kiara asked, surprised that he figured it out so quickly.

"You're not the only one who's lost a brother," he said quietly. "And I can't really forget about yours, even though I hardly knew him. His death was just...wrong."

She turned away from him and looked back to the gorge. "My father once said that the throne went to the eldest male heir, if there was one. This whole kingdom would have gone to Kopa if he was still alive."

Kovu stepped forward so he was beside her. They stared out into the distance together. "Guess it's up to us then," he murmured. He frowned, focusing his gaze at a particular spot in the grasslands.

"Kiara, there's something heading towards Pride Rock," he said. "Looks like a group of lions. I don't think they're ours." There were about a score of them, and although he couldn't see their faces properly, he could tell by the manes that many of them were males.

She saw them now too. "That's not good." If they were rogues, then it was likely that their leader was going to challenge the king for the pride. Except the king didn't happen to be here right now. It didn't help that there were only twenty lions in the pride at the moment, some of them quite old, so it was unlikely that rogues would be outnumbered or outmatched.

"Let's get down there," Kovu said. He didn't need to say what they were both thinking. Kiara already knew that if the rogues really were looking for a challenge, it would be up to him to take it.

_Guess it's up to us._

※※※

Kopa could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Fujo? You're the king's brother?"

"You know him?" asked Tumaini, looking equally surprised.

"We ran into each other in the Outlands," said Fujo, looking amused at the confusion of everyone standing around him.

"He showed me the way here," Kopa added. "He knew the way to Mount Kilimanjaro. Why didn't I think of it then?"

"You were in a hurry at the time," the mysterious lion pointed out. "So was I, for that matter, so there was no time for explanations. But I am glad to see you've made it, Kopa."

"And I'm glad you've come back," said Malka. "I shouldn't have asked you to endanger yourself like that, Fujo. Now that you've returned safely—"

Fujo shook his head. "None of us are safe. I saw the lions buried in the gorge, and..."

"And?" his brother urged.

"Janga is alive."

"What?" Kopa exclaimed.

"I watched Kivuli carrying her away. And they're up to something. I saw their pride raiding the Serengeti, attacking lions, taking them prisoner. It's like they're looking for something...or someone..."

"Kopa," said Tumaini quietly. "They're looking for Kopa."

Fujo frowned. "Why?"

"Because I started the rockslide in the gorge," Kopa mumbled.

"How many prisoners have been taken?" Malka asked.

"I don't know," Fujo said. "I saw two or three being taken to Mount Tempest. I'm not sure how many are being held in total. I think they're Pridelanders, because they're travelling in groups. They look like they're trying to find something."

Kopa felt a spasm of guilt at these revelations. The rockslide was an accident, but he thought that it had spared the Pridelanders from a bloody fight. But now things had gotten worse. Janga was having them captured and killed in an attempt to find him, and they wouldn't even know anything about him. "I have to go," he whispered.

"No," Siri protested. "They're after you, Kopa. You have to stay here."

"They want me. I can't let those Pridelanders suffer or die because of me—"

"Kopa, there's nothing you can do for them," said Tumaini firmly. "Janga's not going to let the others go if she gets you. That's if we're going to let her get you, which we're not."

"I will send out teams to help the Pridelanders," Malka added to cut short further argument. "But Tumaini and Siri are right, you have to stay here. Fujo, come with me. We have to make plans. It's time for us to stop running from Janga. Siri...keep an eye on Kopa." Without waiting for a response, he jumped onto a nearby ledge and began climbing to the hollow's peak. Fujo nodded at Kopa before following his brother wordlessly up the bridges.

※※※

"There it is, Pride Rock," said Ni, pointing at the formation of rocks jutting up on the other side of the grasslands.

"Not bad for an old lion who wandered here by accident the first time," admitted Sabini. "Though you don't have to point it out to me. I used to live here, you know."

"I'm not that old," he grumbled. "And this really isn't the time to be insulting, Sabini."

The others were too busy staring at Pride Rock to answer. Even from a distance, it was an impressive sight, and one that Sabini realized she missed dearly. _It feels like a lifetime since I've been here..._

Two lions in particular were gazing at it with profound interest. Tojo and Leo were both Pridelanders once, although they had left some time ago. Tojo had been exiled by Scar, and sometime later Leo left with Sabini to start their own pride. That changed when they met Ni and decided to live together in a single pride, heedless of the numerous males that were also there. It had been an odd idea at the time, but she eventually liked having other males around better. _Really, there's no reason to have only one per pride._

"So Simba's the king now," Tojo murmured absently. "It's good to see the Pridelands have been restored too." He smiled and looked to the half dozen birds perched on his shoulders. "You guys remember Simba? Think he'll still recognize me?"

Sabini padded over to Leo, who was still staring at Pride Rock. "It's been a while, huh? What, no fables from you about the brave things your family did here?" When he didn't answer to the gibe, she nudged him. "Come on, Leo. You're not going to get there by staring at it."

A sudden roar emanated from the grass in front of them, followed by seven lionesses leaping swiftly out of its tall stalks. Ni suddenly found himself being stared down by a lean, tan-coloured lioness baring her teeth at him. Her expression was fiery and she looked positively fearsome, but he couldn't help but notice that her irises were a dark blue that was rare among their species. In fact, he had only met one other lioness of a similar eye colour.

"What are you doing here, rogues?" she growled. "Are you here to challenge the king?"

Sabini had to admire her nerve. The lioness was rather young, especially in comparison to her half dozen companions who were getting on in their years. She showed no sign of fear, even though they were clearly outnumbered.

"We come in peace," Ni said gently, although it didn't seem to pacify the lioness one bit. "I need to speak with Simba."

She edged closer to him, and hissed, "I asked you what you were doing here."

"We mean no harm," said Tojo. His birds, which had lit from his shoulders in fright when the lionesses had shown up, returned to perch on him. "In fact, some of us were once Pridelanders—"

"Vitani!"

Everyone turned to see three more lions dashing over to join them. Two of them were lionesses, and despite their age difference, they shared a close resemblance. In fact, the younger one looked especially familiar to Ni...

"I'll take it from here, Vitani," said the third lion to the blue-eyed lioness. He was a young dark-furred male with a scar over his left eye. Turning to Ni, he asked calmly but firmly, "Who are you?"

"Wait a minute," said Tojo. "Are you...are you Scar's son?"

The young lion turned to him. His eyes looked to the blue birds before he replied, "No. I know of Scar, but I have no relation to him. My name is Kovu." He returned his attention to Ni. "Now, who are you and why have you brought these lions here?"

"My name is Ni," the older lion replied in an equally patient tone. "I came to Pride Rock a long time ago, but left not long after. These are some of the lions from my pride. We've recently escaped from a group of lions that attacked us. Some of our pride have been separated from us. We were hoping to find Simba and ask for his help. And...I have an important message for a lioness called Nala."

The elder lioness accompanying Kovu stepped forward. "Simba is my son. He is not here right now, but he's searching for...someone."

"And what's this important message?" asked the younger lioness, rather boldly.

"It's for Nala—"

"Yeah well, she's not here either. And she's my mother."

Ni gave a start. "Your—?"

"Sarabi, I thought I recognized you," said Tojo suddenly. "Don't you remember me?"

Sarabi turned her head to him for the first time. Her expression became shocked but then warmed instantly. "Tojo! Of course, how could I have forgotten you with those birds? And Sabini—Leo—"

"Glad to see your memory's still about right," Sabini said with a laugh.

"Sometimes," she said, smiling. Turning to Kovu, she said, "They're old friends, Kovu. It's alright, we can bring them to Pride Rock."

Kovu hesitated. He didn't know any of these lions, and he was uncomfortable with the idea of letting strangers take up Pride Rock like their own home. Then again, they didn't seem to have hostile intentions, and Sarabi trusted them. That would be good enough for him, for now. And some of them were Simba's friends, right? He would understand. "Alright. Let's go."

"About time," said Sabini.

Every lion relaxed visibly, and Kovu led them towards Pride Rock, Vitani taking up the rear and watching the newcomers cautiously. The one called Leo padded over to him and strutted alongside him.

"She's a tough one," he said cheerfully, indicating Vitani. "I wouldn't fancy having a fight with her. Although who knows, my family has been famous for our tenacity and prowess..."

Sabini groaned. "This is why I never want to have cubs with you," she said.

※※※

_Kopa found him sitting by the waterhole. To his surprise, he was alone. But he was hardly disappointed; it would make their conversation far easier to get through, and it was best if what he wanted to talk about could be done privately._

"_Afua," he called. His friend turned around at the sound of his voice._

"_Hi, Kopa."_

"_Where's Beba? You're usually with him now all the time..."_

_Kopa didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation, but it still came out like that. He winced. He wanted to make the conversation a pleasant one, and didn't want to start arguing with his best friend, no matter how he had felt about him just earlier._

_Afua didn't seem to notice the tone and scoffed. "Oh, he was showing off yesterday and accidentally sprained his leg on a rock. His mom's not letting him out of her sight now."_

"_Oh." The story might have made Kopa laugh had he heard it yesterday, but after what Timon and Pumbaa told him, he actually felt a little bad for the cheetah cub._

"_Yeah," Afua said. "He's not clumsy or anything, but that was kind of stupid of him."_

"_Afua?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Can you...not...don't talk about him like that, please. It's not very nice."_

"_I said he wasn't clumsy," his friend said defensively. "Since when do you care so much about Beba anyway? You hardly even know him."_

_Kopa looked down. "Well, I don't like it when you talk like that about me either."_

"_Huh?" Afua looked genuinely confused. "When do I talk about you like that?"_

"_You don't play with me anymore because you always go find Beba instead. When I talk to you, you always tell me how much better he is than me. It's really hurtful and I don't know if you've noticed."_

_This seemed to catch Afua unawares. He looked to the ground as well and his ears drooped. "Gee, Kopa. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I wouldn't have said any of that if I knew I was hurting your feelings."_

"_Afua, you're my best friend. I don't want that to change, but I wanted to tell you so we could stay as best friends."_

"_I promise I'll be nicer to you. And you were my friend first, so Beba can wait from now on. Will you give me a second chance?"_

"_Yes," Kopa said instantly. _Because best friends never hate each other. _Afua looked up at him and a smile broke out over his face._

_Yet the smile didn't look quite right on his face. Afua's form was changing now, transforming. A rumbling filled the air as his cub-like form stretched and became more adult-like._

"_Afua?"_

_The now-adult lion seemed completely oblivious to the rumbling, which was growing louder now. He wore the exact same smile as Afua but this time it was a face just as familiar but one he remembered much more clearly._

"_Kopa, my best friend," he said in Tumaini's voice. "My second chance."_

_And then a mass of rocks collapsed on him, burying him completely in the blink of an eye. Kopa started screaming his name, and he didn't know if it was Afua's or Tumaini's..._

Kopa leaped up from the ledge where he was sleeping, his heart racing. He was breathing heavily, as if he really had been screaming someone's name.

"Kopa, what is it?"

Tumaini was beside him, watching him in concern. Kopa just stared back at the face that was still printed in his mind's eye, no longer eerie like it was in the dream but still unnerving to him at the moment. Siri was also awake, it seemed, and she hurried over.

"Did I wake you guys?" Kopa asked. They nodded.

"You were talking in your sleep," said Siri. "And then you yelled and startled yourself awake."

"What is it?" asked Tumaini. "Did you have a bad dream?"

He nodded. It sounded like a question a parent would ask their cub, but right now he was too perturbed to care. What had happened at the end of the dream was disconcerting, but he realized something that was far more astounding. "Tumaini," he said. "Afua's alive." He already knew how absurd it sounded but felt that he needed to say it.

"What?" Tumaini stammered.

"I don't know where he is right now—but he didn't die in the rockslide—I know what he looks like—I've _met _him before—"

"Kopa, you're not making any sense," Siri said. "It was a dream. You couldn't have met him."

"You don't understand," Kopa insisted. "I _know _I've met him. He was my best friend, when...when..." He trailed off, unable to remember more than the conversation he had with Afua. But he knew it had happened.

"Then where is he?" Tumaini asked exasperatedly. He still didn't look like he believed him. Kopa sighed, frustrated that he had recalled something like this and couldn't remember the rest.

"I don't know. Wherever I was before you found me in the river." When the others didn't reply, he added insistently, "I'm telling you, it wasn't just a dream! I know it wasn't!"

"Go back to sleep, Kopa," Tumaini said wearily as he slumped back down to the floor. "I have a lot of tracking to do tomorrow."

Kopa lay back down, although he wasn't feeling the least bit tired. He would not be allowed to go with the others tomorrow, but he couldn't just stay here. There were more and more things that he had to figure out about his past, and he had to keep looking until he found the answers. He was certain that Afua was still alive, out there somewhere, and he would find him. If he brought him to Tumaini, it would heal many of the scars his friend had hidden for so many years, scars that would otherwise never fade away. And if Afua could remember the things about Kopa that he himself had forgotten, then he would be the key to figuring out who he really was.

* * *

**[Canon Character Names]**

**Vitani:** Demon of war**  
**

**Ni:** I am**  
**

**Sabini:** Fifty

**Leo:** Today

**Beba:** Carry

**Timon:** Respect

**Pumbaa:** Foolish


	6. On the Move

Janga's speedy recovery was impressive, as well as the fact that she was able to take charge of the pride again so soon after her ordeal. But now Kivuli was downright confounded, and not so much relieved as she was alarmed at her leader's latest decision.

"Janga, you can't be serious."

"Why?" Janga snapped. "The search teams have killed more lions than they've captured. Jeraha is nowhere to be found. And there's still not a trace of that Kopa. He may have ruined my plan, but I'm going to take matters into my own paws before I lose my chances completely." She was particularly irritated since Taya and Kupinga had returned earlier and confirmed that all fifteen of her best lions were dead.

"You can't start walking before you're fully recovered," Kivuli insisted. "And you don't even know where he is."

"I know my own limits, Kivuli. And I don't intend on wandering around until I bump into him. I'm going to see what Fujo is up to. He can locate Kopa if no one else can. Is my team ready?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then I'll see you later."

Kivuli watched wordlessly as Janga walked off in an almost casual manner. If she was experiencing any pain from walking, she didn't show it. In fact, she didn't look at all as if she had just been buried by a rockslide less than two days ago. _She's a strong leader, but...she can be so stubborn sometimes. Just like her father._

_I only hope Janga doesn't end up sharing his fate._

※※※

Kovu's qualms about bringing the rogues to Pride Rock disappeared when they were greeted by the rest of the Pridelanders. Most of them, particularly the older ones, seemed to recognize quite a few of Ni's lions. There were enthusiastic greetings all around, and he was surprised at how many of them had actually once lived here before he did. The thought of it made him feel odd since they were technically rogues.

Vitani was watching them warily. "You don't suppose they're Janga's, do you?"

"I don't think so," Kovu replied, watching a group of rogues conversing excitedly with some of the Pridelanders. "They used to live here."

"So did Janga, apparently," she pointed out. "And mother once sent you here to kill Simba..."

He faltered at this thought. What if they were sent by Janga to infiltrate the pride? His decision would have put them all in danger. If it was a mistake, then he had just done a poor job in looking after everyone in Simba's place.

"Kiara, I was wondering why you looked familiar," Sabini was saying nearby. "You were still a newborn when I last saw you. She looks exactly like Nala, doesn't she, Ni?"

"That she does," said Ni. "Kiara, huh? Well, look at you! I sure feel old when I see Nala's daughter all grown up. You know, when I met your mother, she was still a cub..."

Kovu looked at Vitani. "I think we can trust them, Tani."

"You're the boss," she said.

"Kovu, come here!" Kiara called, remembering he was there. He gave Vitani a look that said _relax_, and padded over. "Kovu's my mate. He's in charge of the pride since my father isn't here."

"Mate?" Sabini repeated in astonishment. "Kings above, I _have _been away too long. It's nice to meet you, Kovu."

"Speaking of mates, where's Leo?" asked Kiara. "We should call him over here..."

Sabini looked over to Leo, who was talking animatedly with three other lions. Spinning another tall tale about his family tree, no doubt. "He's catching up with some old friends. Trust me, you'll like him better when he's talking to someone else."

"So, where _is _Simba?" asked Ni. "Sabini and Tojo have told me quite a bit about him, but I was hoping to meet him in person. Come to think of it, where's the rest of the pride?"

"They're out looking for a lioness that sneaked into the Pridelands a few days ago," Kovu said. "Simba suspects that she was trying to launch an attack on us."

Ni's expression grew grim. "Does this lioness happen to be Janga?"

Kovu nodded.

"I thought so. She was the one who sent her hunters to attack my pride a few days ago. I didn't think she would be this far north in the Serengeti."

Kiara suddenly cried out in pain, causing everyone nearby to turn. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her abdomen and clenching her teeth. A few others walked over, looking concerned, and Kovu was instantly at her side. "Kiara!"

He lifted her and carefully moved her into the royal den, helped by Ni and Sabini. "Kiara, what's wrong?" the older lioness asked. Kiara didn't reply, but just groaned.

"Vitani, go get Rafiki," Kovu said. Vitani dashed off without a word, but he didn't watch her go, knowing she wouldn't be long in finding him. He gently laid Kiara down on the cave floor. "Hang on, Kiara."

※※※

Vitani returned even faster than he expected with Rafiki on her back. He hastily leaped off and hurried over to Kiara, who was breathing feverishly, her eyes were tense with agony.

"What is it, Rafiki?" Kovu asked immediately. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Be calm, Kovu," the old mandrill replied. "I have to find the problem first, so do not distract me." He bent over and examined Kiara, running his fingers along her belly, checking her eyes. He asked her a few questions, mostly simple ones. Kovu watched anxiously. He hated seeing Kiara in these spasms of pain, because he couldn't do anything to protect her from it. And this one was the worst one yet.

Rafiki looked up. "Everyone, please, leave Kiara with me."

"Kovu," Kiara whispered. Rafiki sighed.

"All right, Kovu can stay."

The others left the royal den, Sabini giving them a worried look before she walked out. Kovu placed his paw over Kiara's. He just stared at her, hardly hearing the questions the mandrill was asking her. _What could have happened to her? Was her fall during the earthquake really worse than we thought?_ A worse thought entered his mind. _She's not going to die, is she?_

After a while, Rafiki's expression changed from concern to graveness, and it made Kovu feel even more apprehensive. _I knew it. Something is wrong. Why didn't I find him sooner? And what if this problem is serious? Could we have prevented it in time if he knew about it earlier? What if it never goes away—?_

"Kovu, are you listening?"

He gave a start. Rafiki was staring at him, now looking rather resigned. "I have terrible news. I think I know what the matter is. I can't be completely certain, but I have my suspicions."

"Tell me," Kovu said urgently, already knowing that he wouldn't like it.

"Kiara will be fine," Rafiki began slowly. "But..."

"But?"

"She told me she was injured very recently during the earthquake, which is unfortunate."

Kovu felt a panic stirring. "Why? Is there permanent damage? You said she would be fine—!"

"No, no permanent damage," Rafiki said, shaking his head. Reluctantly, he finished in a low voice, "But she may lose the cub."

"Cub?" repeated Kovu and Kiara simultaneously.

"You were not aware that you were carrying a cub?"

She shook her head, silent with shock.

"I'm very sorry to tell you this then. You were in the early stages, when the cub is still growing and very vulnerable. When you fell during the earthquake, the injuries were far more damaging upon it than you. It most likely will not survive." Rafiki took a leafy plant tied to his staff. "I have here a herb that will comfort you. If you take it, the cub will die from the effects, but the pains will no longer bother you."

Kiara shook her head. "I can't. You said there was a chance it could survive."

"A very small chance..."

"But it's something. I have to take it—I can take the pain if it has a chance—"

Rafiki's face creased with sympathy. "Kiara, I understand how you feel. But are you sure about this?"

She nodded. She looked at Kovu, who gave her paw a reassuring squeeze. The old mandrill stood up and turned to leave. "Very well. You can find me again if you change your mind." As he walked to the mouth of the cave, he added quietly, "You are very brave, Kiara. I hope fate will be kind to you both."

※※※

They were the last group to leave. Tumaini looked over the team he had been assigned and was heartened to see they were ready, not just to begin their task but to follow him. Rebuilding his trust with Malka in the last few days hadn't been easy, and they still had a ways to go, but his father had given him a chance to be truly be part of the pride again by making him one of the team leaders. And the others in his group showed no signs of wanting to give him a hard time. _That's one thing that makes leaving a little easier, I guess._

He noticed his friends watching him from the other side of the hollow. Siri had been given three orders by Malka before he had left; to act as pride leader for the time being, to watch Kopa and make sure he didn't run off, and to rest her paws until she was completely recovered from her exhausting run from Mount Tempest a few days ago. She had tried to point out that she could walk around just fine (which Malka ignored) but agreed to the other two tasks. Tumaini knew she would be safer here, but all the same, he wished their time didn't always have to be so brief.

_What's the matter with you?_ he berated himself. _You've known her for a few days, and now you can't even leave her for a while? We both have something to do and time is short. Besides, I'm going to be back before long._

He blinked when he realized she was looking straight into his eyes, and he looked away quickly. Why did he always feel so awkward around her now? Sometime between his leaving her at Mount Tempest and her persuading Malka to let him return, something was definitely different about her.

_And then there's Kopa._ He trusted that Siri would be able to watch him, but Tumaini was more concerned about what was on his mind. _He must have really had a weird dream last night._ But at the same time, a part of him wondered if his friend was right. _We went to the gorge a few days later,_ Malka had told him. _but we never dug out his body. _What if Afua really was alive?

_Come on,_ he thought to himself, a little angrily. _You know what you did. You've learned to live with it, and now you have to let it go if you're going to come back to the pride. Wishful thinking won't get you anywhere. _And yet he couldn't get out of his mind how Kopa claimed he had been best friends with Afua. The kid wouldn't say something like that for nothing.

Shaking his head, Tumaini turned to face the cavern exit, and silently gestured for his team to follow him. The lions dashed into the tunnel in single formation.

※※※

Kovu told Sarabi what Kiara's condition was, but asked her to keep the matter private from the others. She agreed, feeling pity for the young couple. What a misfortune that had befallen them; Sarabi hoped for a miracle even though she knew that the cub's chances of survival were low. Still, Kiara wasn't going to give up, nor would Sarabi expect her to. _Simba, where are you?_ she thought wistfully. _Your daughter needs you now. Come home soon._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ni, who was approaching her a little nervously. "Um, pardon me, Sarabi. I was wondering if Kiara was alright?"

"She'll be fine," Sarabi said quietly, which was partially true. No matter what the outcome, Kiara would recover physically from her condition. But physical pain was easy enough to forget.

"Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that. You know, it's not easy seeing a young lioness like her in pain. And she reminds me so much of Nala..." he trailed off. "I was wondering if you could tell me where Sarafina is?"

Sarabi noted how he had the decency not to ask for details on Kiara, and replied politely, "She left with one of the search teams."

"I thought so," Ni said. "I didn't see her yet, but I thought I'd ask. I've got something important to tell her and Nala."

"I'm sure you can tell them when they return."

"But it's important that they know as soon as possible. I've considered going off to find them."

"If you go wandering off, the chances of you finding them are low," she pointed out. "You'll also be putting yourself in danger since Janga's hunters are still out there. And Simba and the others could be back very soon anyway."

"You're right," Ni said. "Actually, there's another reason I wanted to find them. I have something to tell Simba, but I guess I should tell you too."

"Go on."

"I should have told you earlier, but I didn't know if you would believe me." He took a deep breath. "The reason Janga is attacking other lions because she's looking for one in particular. Someone named Kopa."

Sarabi froze. It was a name she hadn't heard in a long time, but she recognized it instantly. "Kopa..."

"Sabini recognized the name and told me who Kopa is. He's your grandson...isn't he?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Kopa...he's alive?"

"I haven't seen him, but if he really is the same Kopa..."

"I have to find him."

But Ni already saw this coming. "Whoa there, Sarabi. You just told _me _not to go running off—"

"You don't understand," she said. "We've thought Kopa dead for years, from when he was a cub. If he knew the way back to Pride Rock, he would have returned by now. And if he's in danger, I have to find him." There was a renewed fire in her eyes. "What else did you hear about him? Anything, even the small details are important."

"Not much," he admitted. "There are rumours that the rubble in the gorge we passed by was a rockslide that Kopa started on Janga. That's why she wants to find him..."

Sarabi remembered the digging they had done in the gorge after the rockslide. That was when she first found out that it was Janga who was in the gorge. But she never would have imagined that it was caused by Kopa. _Was he really there a few days ago? He had been so close to Pride Rock? Why didn't he come home? _It didn't matter. She would find him and bring him back.

"...and the closest pride is over on the other side of the mountains," Ni was saying. "It's a place called Mount Tempest. You could start asking around there."

"Thank you, Ni," Sarabi said. "I'll be off shortly. Don't tell Kiara until after I'm gone, she needs her rest." _She'll understand when I come back. _"I'm counting on you to protect the pride, Ni. If Janga reaches Pride Rock, it'll be up to you and Kovu to keep our home safe."

He nodded. "Good luck, Sarabi."

He watched her dash off the side of Pride Rock, where a few lionesses were sitting around. Sarabi was clearly getting on in her years, but now she moved with an energy that rivalled that of a much younger lioness. _Nothing's going to stop her until she finds Kopa, that's for sure._ He looked back to the royal den. Kiara had fallen asleep, and Kovu lay next to her, watching over her tirelessly and noticing nothing else around him. _Well, at least there'll be some good news to give them later._

※※※

Fujo heard them coming long before they appeared from the shadows of the forest, seemingly at once. Unimpressed, he simply said, "About time. I've been waiting for hours."

"You really do expect too much, Fujo," growled a deep voice from behind him. Its owner was a large lion climbing out from behind a bush. "And my team and myself aren't in the best of moods."

"Is that what the theatrics are all about?" Fujo asked in a bored voice. "Well, I'm sorry about your _mood_, Jeraha, but you didn't side with Janga for leisure walks."

"Don't patronize me," Jeraha snapped. "I don't even see why Janga and Kivuli trust you so much. I certainly have my doubts since we've been searching the area for weeks and have found no trace of Malka."

"Oh, my bad. It turns out he had gone to Mount Kilimanjaro instead. If only I had known."

The large lion stepped forward. "Are you playing me for a fool, Fujo? Pick your answer carefully, because I've got you surrounded right now."

"I'm terrified," Fujo said sarcastically. "Please, why would I play you for a fool? You know full well that I want my brother dead more than you do. In fact, I can tell you where he is right now."

"So where is he?"

"Heading down the Zuberi River, trying to find Janga. Just follow it and you'll see him soon enough. Why don't you go pay him a visit?"

"You'd better not be wrong again," Jeraha said. When Fujo didn't dignify the second threat with a response, he added slowly, "I have information that you'll be interested in as well."

"Don't tell me," said Fujo. "Sarabi has finally left Pride Rock."

The other lion nodded. Fujo smiled at the confirmation. "And I thought she would never leave. Alright. Leave her to me. You go deal with my brother."

"Kukesha, Makali, Husuda, go with him," Jeraha ordered. A lion and two lionesses stepped forward and moved behind Fujo. "And remember, all of you: not a word of this to Janga."

He watched as the four lions departed, hoping that Fujo's cunning and hindsight would not fail him now. As much as Jeraha hated to work behind Janga's back, he knew it was for her own good. If she was to become the new leader of the Pridelands, Sarabi's death was a necessity. He remembered what she was like when he was a cub; how contemptuous she was of Scar and his hyenas. Janga might believe that her mother would accept her taking the throne from Simba, but Jeraha knew better. Sarabi would see them as no better than Scar, and she had to die if they were to reach everything they had worked towards their entire lives.

※※※

Kopa noticed how Siri was keeping a very close eye on him while still making sure what was left of the pride was still a pride. It was almost funny, since she sometimes acted as if he would sneak off every time she turned her back.

At the moment, he was more preoccupied with thinking about the dream he had about Afua. He was still convinced that it had happened, because it felt as real as any of his unnamed memories. He could recognize his voice and see him as clearly as...as the lioness cub in his other dreams. _Where did these dreams happen?_ He thought in frustration. _I don't know how to get there, how far it is, or even what it's called..._

He remembered when Tumaini had first told him about prides. After living in near-solitude his entire life, he had wanted to be a part of one, and here he was. _But it's not any pride I wanted to be a part of,_ he realized. _I wanted to be in the pride with Afua and the lioness..._

But this was Afua's pride. At least, it was, before the rockslide. But Kopa couldn't have been from Malka's pride. The lioness wasn't here. He had never seen Tumaini in his dreams. And none of the lions here knew who he was before he lost his memory. His family wasn't here.

He slowed down to gather his thoughts and make sense of things. _This isn't my pride. Then I'm from another pride. And Afua isn't here because he survived the rockslide...although I don't know why he didn't go back. Where is he then?_

This was no use. How many prides could there be? They had to be scattered all over the land, and who knew how far apart because no two prides could be too close to each other—

_Wait._

_There's only one pride close to here...Pride Rock._ And another thought occurred to him. _Tumaini pulled me out of the river that runs through the gorge during the rainy time of the year. The gorge in the Pridelands._ There was no other explanation for it. He could think of no other pride that was close enough to here and near the river. _I couldn't have been in the river too long, otherwise I would have drowned. I must have fallen in near Pride Rock._

The possibility dug itself into Kopa's mind until it became a certainty. He felt an excitement building inside him. His home had been so close all along and he hadn't even known it. _Who were my parents? What was it the hyena had called me? Mufasa? That's it! Who is he? Is he at Pride Rock? Maybe he's my father..._

_I have to go. _It wasn't a question, not an idea. It was something he was going to do. Something he had to do. Everything was starting to make sense now, and he wanted to figure it all out before it slipped away from him.

Kopa looked around, and was surprised to see that Siri was nowhere in sight. But her absence was an opportunity for him to leave, and he wasn't about to miss it. Making sure no one in the almost unoccupied cavern was watching him, he surreptitiously slipped into the tunnel and made for the exit, careful not to make a sound.

He stepped outside, squinting a bit at the brightness of sunlight after staying in the dimly lit hollow for a while. Even though he wasn't too high off the ground, he still had an impressive view of the surrounding land. He still remembered the way to Pride Rock, and he could reach it by sundown if he made good time—

His vision flared, and he gasped as the land seemed to change before him. A familiar voice spoke in his ear.

"_Everything the light touches is our kingdom, Kopa..."_

It was the same voice he had heard calling his name in the gorge. It faded in and out of focus as the land shifted from the grasslands to another landscape that looked even more familiar.

"_...we are all connected in the Circle of Life—"_

"Kopa?"

The vision and the voice were cut off abruptly, and Kopa turned to see Siri walking down the ledge towards him. "What are you doing out here?" she asked.

He shook his head, shaking off the effects of the abrupt vision. "I'm...I'm leaving," he told her, deciding to be honest.

"Yeah, I kinda guessed," she said resignedly. "Where are you going?"

"I'm heading for Pride Rock. I think my family is there, and I'm going to find out if it's true. And maybe I can even ask the Pridelanders to help—" he broke off, noticing the emphasis she put on "you". "Wait, what are you doing outside?"

"I'm going to find Tumaini," she said. She said this in a matter-of-fact tone, but he could see that she looked tense as she said this.

"Malka's not going to like that," Kopa remarked.

"No, he's not."

"He's not going to like that you let me go either."

Siri sighed. "Janga's pride isn't going to find Shira Hollow in a hundred lifetimes. Eleven lions don't need looking after from me. And...and I have to make sure Tumaini is alright. There were...some things I wanted to tell him before he left. It can't wait."

Kopa knew what she was talking about. But neither of them needed to say it. It didn't take too long to figure out after spending so much time in their company. "I hope you find him."

She gave him a wistful smile. "You're a kind lion, Kopa, but so...lonely. I hope you find what you're looking for at Pride Rock."

With that, the two lions quickly made their way down the mountain, and silently wishing the other luck, wordlessly dashed off in two separate directions with the same perseverance as fast as they could.

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**And there it is, the second (and main) reason this story is rated T and not K+. Just as a note, the next few chapters will be among the darkest of the entire series. I won't reveal anything though, but I have the feeling you'll all have a lot to say about the next chapter.  
**

* * *

**[Original Character Names]  
**

**Kukesha:** Watch**  
**

**Makali:** Edge**  
**

**Husuda:** Envy**  
**

**[Canon Character Names]  
**

**Sarafina:** Fiery (Latin)**  
**


	7. Reunited in Passing

Kiara was getting worse. The pains were becoming more frequent, preventing her from doing much during the day and keeping her awake at night. She had to resist the urge to scream out with agony so the others in the den wouldn't hear. But Kovu always woke up several times a night to soothe her.

Rafiki was dropping by every day to check on her. Although he could see that her condition was becoming more serious, she still refused to accept the herbs he offered her that would mean death to her cub.

"I have to try," she would murmur, her face contorted in pain. "It deserves a chance to live."

Eventually, she became so afflicted with pains that the old mandrill moved her to his baobab tree. Although Kovu was worried about her being out of his sight, he knew it would be better if she was away from the rest of the pride for a while. Still, he went to check on her quite often.

"I will tell you if the cub is coming," Rafiki assured him. "But keep your focus on the pride."

_Easier said than done, _Kovu thought. It was hard to spend so much time at Pride Rock without Kiara. He missed her cheerful vivacious personality, which had disappeared ever since they had found out about the cub. The others in the pride were concerned about her, although they chose to respect her privacy and didn't ask what the matter was. But her absence was noticeable to all, and even Timon and Pumbaa seemed a bit deflated without her around.

"Gee, I hope the kid's going to be alright," Kovu heard Timon saying earlier.

"I wish Simba was here," Pumbaa muttered. "He'd know what to do."

"If he didn't find that Janga yet. Who knows what's happening with him right now. I tell you, Pumbaa, things don't look good right now, do they?"

Although Kovu was tempted to stay with Kiara all the time, to just be there for her, he knew he had things to do. Apart from leading the pride, he had to make sure everything was in order among the animals. Having grown up in the Outlands and learned to look out only for himself, he didn't know about anything of the sort. Fortunately, Ni was more experienced in that area and was a great help to him. Still, Kovu found himself quite exhausted by the end of every day with all he had to do.

As Kiara's pains became more serious, Kovu found himself checking up on her more and more often, until Ni finally told him to just stay with her and Rafiki.

"But I'm supposed to be in charge of the pride," the younger lion protested, albeit without very much conviction.

"She needs you right now," said Ni. "Don't worry, I can watch the pride for now. I can always come find you if you're needed."

It didn't take much more persuading for Kovu to accept. He stayed with Kiara day and night but still left for a little while every day to check on the pride. Despite Ni's reassurance and everyone else's sympathy, he couldn't help but feel that he was being an inadequate leader. He had to at least make sure that everything was alright in his absence. Between his frequent trips and the little sleep he got due to waking up from Kiara's cries of pain during the nights, he didn't even notice something very important until Vitani pointed it out to him.

"Where's Sarabi?"

"She's over there with—" Kovu mumbled wearily, before he shot straight up. "Hold on, I haven't seen Sarabi for..." _How many days has it been? I can't even keep track anymore..._

"I'll ask around if anyone else has," Vitani said instantly, running off. Kovu decided to ask around as well. The first lion he ran into was Ni, who he informed of Sarabi's disappearance.

"She left two days ago," said Ni quietly. "Sorry Kovu, but she told me not to say a word until she was long gone."

"But why? Where's she going?"

"To find Kopa."

"Kopa?" Kovu repeated disbelievingly. Ni nodded slowly and explained everything he had told Sarabi, ending with her decision to leave and how she didn't want to tell Kiara until she was better.

"So you have to promise not to tell her," Ni said. "Not until she's recovered from...whatever is hurting her."

Kovu nodded, privately deciding not to tell Vitani either. Not yet. They didn't need any more lions running off from the pride. _Simba and his search teams don't know that Kopa's alive. Sarabi has to find him. But if she doesn't...we'll have to do it._

※※※

Sarabi didn't want to show it, but the long trek was exhausting her. She and the others had been journeying all day without stop, and she in particular was not as young as she used to be. Her desire to find Kopa had not diminished one bit since she had left Pride Rock, but she knew it would be unfair to the lionesses she had brought along to force them to keep going when rest was clearly needed.

They had made a fair amount of progress though. They had gone past the outskirts of the Pridelands and had just entered a forest with lots of trees and numerous tall, rolling hills. It was an encouraging sight; the area looked like it received more rain than the grasslands that surrounded it, which meant it was probably adjacent to a mountain range. Mount Kilimanjaro couldn't be far now.

She called a halt in a forest clearing. "We'll rest here for a while. Search for food or water if you want, but don't take too long. We'll meet up in this clearing when everyone is ready to leave."

The other lionesses walked off in separate directions, disappearing into the forest. Sarabi laid down on the soft grass, thinking of her long-lost grandson and how close she would be to finding him. What if he wasn't at Mount Tempest? No matter; she would search for as long as it took. She wasn't returning to Pride Rock without him.

※※※

"They're splitting up," said Fujo quietly. "Go and kill the others. Leave Sarabi to me." She was an old lioness, but he knew better than to underestimate her. He would need to catch her by surprise to avoid getting maimed. At least she looked tired, which would work in his favour for his deadly task.

The three other lions quietly slipped off, each of them tailing one of the lionesses. Fujo slunk in the shadows, edging closer to the unsuspecting Sarabi without a sound. She was lying down in the clearing but facing him, and he wouldn't be able to close the distance quickly enough unless she looked away.

A faint roar was heard elsewhere in the forest. Fujo didn't know whether it belonged to one of Jeraha's lions or Sarabi's, but he saw his chance. She got up and turned towards the sound, her back now facing him. With barely a rustle of grass, he pounced at her.

※※※

Kopa made it to the top of a hill and looked down at the forest below. Most of the grounds were obscured by the cover of tall trees, but he could make out a few clearings here and there. But most importantly, he could see over the treetops to where the forest ended in the distance.

The grasslands weren't much further now, and he would soon reach the edges of the Pridelands. Satisfied that he was still going in the right direction, he was about to make his way down to the bottom of the hill when he noticed something.

A single lioness was lying in one of the clearings. He couldn't make out her features, but he was more curious about why a lioness was alone in a place like this. It wasn't a safe thing to do, since Janga's search teams could be anywhere.

And there, in another clearing not far off was a group of lions. They weren't walking in a single direction, but carefully making their way around, sometimes looking into the trees. Were they searching for something? Kopa squinted, focusing on the one that looked like the leader. It was a lioness that looked like she was walking with a bit of trouble. But the dark brown fur and that sturdy frame looked familiar—he had seen her in the gorge. _It's Janga!_

Kopa's attention was drawn to a black-maned lion creeping towards the lioness. _That's Fujo, isn't it? What's he doing here, alone? What's he up to? _Was the lioness an enemy? Did Fujo know Janga was nearby? Did she know he was? He considered heading over to him, to warn him, but he was too confused with what was happening, and didn't want to call out and be heard by everyone.

And then Fujo lunged at the lioness, and Kopa snapped out of his reverie as the two lions began to fight. He had to get down there and find out what was going on. He had to do something fast, for he as he dashed down the hill, he saw Janga's team picking up their pace. They must have heard the commotion too.

Kopa ran faster, speeding up because he was dashing down the hill. He was careful not to crash into a tree on the way down but kept his eyes on Fujo and the lioness. She was old, he could see that now, and was clearly losing the fight. Fujo managed to knock her onto the ground and sank his teeth into her throat. She went still.

And then to Kopa's surprise, Fujo pushed himself away from her and dashed off, disappearing into the forest. And that was all he saw before he neared the bottom of the hill and the trees cut off his line of vision. He slowed down, now careful to remain quiet. Janga couldn't be far.

The clearing was just ahead now, and he halted behind a tall bush. The lioness lay there, not moving. Around her were a lion and two lionesses, their muzzles spattered with gore. They were gathered around the lioness, looking around uncertainly at something.

And then Janga and her team appeared in the clearing. She looked from the fallen lioness to the three lions standing next to her, and wore an expression of uncharacteristic shock. Then recognition entered her face, which quickly twisted into rage.

"Traitors!" she roared. "Kill them! Kill them all!"

The three lions broke and ran, pursued by Janga's team. Their rapid pawsteps faded away but she didn't join them. Instead, her shoulders slumped and she approached the old lioness, her expression now heavy with grief.

※※※

Sarabi stirred. Her neck was mangled very badly, and her fur was covered in blood, but she still managed to turn her head. "Janga...my child..."

Janga felt an unfamiliar agony well up inside her. "I'm sorry, mother. I wasn't fast enough." She could already see that her mother didn't have much time left, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it just yet. _This is all wrong. How did this happen? Why did they attack her?_

Sarabi's eyes were now devoid of pain, and she smiled gently up at her. "Look at you...all grown up...I never thought I'd see you again..."

"I was coming to find you," Janga whispered. "I've missed you so much."

"So have I...I didn't know if you were alive all this time...I'm so glad you're—" Sarabi broke off with a wince, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. Blood streamed from her throat and trickled onto the grass.

"I wanted to come back. We could have been together again now that Scar's gone..."

Sarabi felt warm tears on her face, and realized that they weren't her own. Opening her eyes, she saw her daughter with her head bowed, gasping quietly as she continued to cry. All her doubts and fear of what Janga had possibly become disappeared. She smiled up at her even though it hurt. "You've taken care of yourself so well...and you've never become a monster...like him...I'm...so proud...of you..."

Janga wiped away her tears. "I could never be like him, not after what he did to you...to _me_. I wanted to make things right."

"You still can..." Sarabi could feel herself slipping into the darkness. As she closed her eyes and her head lolled to the side, she said, "Find Simba...he is your family now..."

Janga slowly moved away from her mother's still form, shaking with shuddering gasps. She felt a terrible heaviness bear down on her, and all she wanted to do was just stay here and hold onto all she had left of Sarabi. She didn't want to leave. She didn't care about the plan. _What good is it now that...that...?_

She heard rustling and saw her lions returning, and didn't care that they saw her grieving.

"We've killed them, Janga," said one of them uncertainly. "What do we do now?"

Although she could still feel grief weighing on her, the words reminded her of who had done this. She felt her resolve returning at the idea of avenging Sarabi, and she replied firmly, "We have some traitors in our pride. We're going to return to Mount Tempest to deal with them." Simba would have to wait. First she would make sure whoever ordered her mother's death would be dealt with. Taking one last look at the old lioness, Janga dashed away with her team.

※※※

Kopa made sure they were gone before he approached the dead lioness. He still wasn't sure who she was or why Fujo attacked her. She seemed to have some connection to Janga, it seemed. He couldn't make out their words when they had spoken, but she had clearly been grieving. And although he was hardly aware of it, he felt himself being drawn to her by an unexplainable familiarity.

To his surprise, the old lioness moved when he reached her. Her glazed eyes opened slowly and met his. Her dull pained expression faded away into one of contentment. "Mufasa?" she whispered.

It was the second time Kopa had been called by that name, and he said apologetically, "I'm not Mufasa. He's dead...or so I've heard. I'm...I'm..." He didn't know why he wanted to tell her his name, but something told him that he needed to.

The lioness' eyes became clear, and she said it before he did. "...Kopa. You _are _alive..."

"You know me?" he asked, startled. Could she really be someone from his past?

She actually managed to give a small laugh. "I've been looking for you...You look so much like Simba...so much like both of them..."

"Simba?" Kopa asked urgently. _Simba's the king of Pride Rock, isn't he? _He felt bad about pushing the dying lioness for answers, but she didn't have much time and he needed to know.

"Simba is my son...and you are his."

"You're my grandmother? Are you..." He faltered, but in that moment a name came to him. "...are you Sarabi?"

"You remember me," she whispered. "Where have you been, Kopa?"

"I...I forgot everything after I fell into the river. I don't even know where my home is." He felt an odd combination of joy and sadness. Here was his own grandmother, appearing in his life for the first time as far as he could remember. She was dying, and yet he couldn't remember enough about her to feel anguished. She could have been anyone dying, and the thought that he should be feeling more made him feel guilty.

"Your home is at Pride Rock," she told him, and the words confirmed what he had suspected all along. "Go, your family will be waiting for you. Goodbye, Kopa..."

_Your family will be waiting for you. _But she would not be coming, and the realization awakened a feeling of desolation he didn't know he had inside him. "Goodbye, grandmother," he said quietly. Sarabi's eyes were closed now, and she slipped away from the world with a gentle, peaceful smile on her face.

Kopa walked away, knowing the truth at last. _My family is at Pride Rock. My father is Simba, the king of the pride. I am a prince._

He wanted so badly to forget about everything and just run straight to Pride Rock. But he knew there was something else he had to do first. It became apparent to him at last that Fujo was working against Malka. He had killed a lioness from an allied pride in the company of Janga's lions. He didn't seem to be on her side either, and Kopa wasn't sure of his intentions. But he had to find Malka and warn him of what had happened, because he had a feeling he wouldn't like what else Fujo was planning.

Kopa dashed off for the Zuberi River, and it took every bit of his resolve not to turn around and head for Pride Rock. He silently willed his family to wait for him a little longer. _I'll return one day. I promise._

※※※

As Sarabi slipped into the afterlife, she found someone very familiar waiting for her.

"I've missed you," she said.

"As have I missed you," replied Mufasa. "But you will be missed by many. Particularly one you had only just been reunited with."

"My time was up, and I was waiting to see you again. It's how things are in the Circle of Life, as you used to always tell me."

"Yes," he agreed. "And you had helped restore a circle that had been previously broken."

"I'm glad I was able to speak with them both before I died."

Mufasa looked worried. "They are in conflict with each other, Sarabi. I foresee much pain before the conflict will be brought to an end."

"Janga is troubled," Sarabi said. "But she's not like Scar."

"If only my brother Scar—my brother _Taka _had been the only evil we have seen," he sighed. "Not even he was devoid of compassion. Janga does not see that her place is not upon the throne, and that will be a problem."

"I'll be here to watch over them, just like you've done for so long."

"Yes, but even we cannot control fate, Sarabi. If only we could. If only we could..."

And with that, he led her into the realm of the great kings, and they slipped away, at peace and together again, gazing down into the world where their descendants lived on.

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**Please don't hate me. That is all.**


	8. Captured

**[Author's Note]**

**Well, thanks for not condemning me after I killed Sarabi. I have seen plenty of other writers kill off Sarabi or not even include her in any stories taking place after the first Lion King film, but yeah, that was kinda tragic. Look on the bright side though, there are plenty of other deaths coming up XD (ehh...you're all gonna hate me by the time I finish book 5). Anyway, on with the story!  
**

* * *

Siri had no idea how she had managed to find Tumaini after heading out from Kilimanjaro on nothing but hope and a faint scent trail. But to her relief, she spotted him and his team at a large oasis quite a ways from the far side of Mount Kilimanjaro. Even from a distance, she managed to recognize him right away, and despite the fact that she had been running nonstop, sped up and sprinted straight towards him.

Tumaini, who had been looking around the oasis cautiously, turned and saw her. He did a double take but ran to meet her as well. The other lions stared after him curiously but stayed where they were.

When they reached each other, Siri suddenly felt awkward. She was relieved to see that he was alright, but she realized how much harder it would be to say what she was thinking when he was right in front of her. Not that she was going to say it to someone else, but it seemed so much easier in her head.

"Hey," he said, noticing her silence.

"Hey," she replied, forcing herself not to look away. She just stood there, feeling more awkward as she tried to think of something else to say. Tumaini, however, seemed too concerned to notice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were watching the pride. And Kopa..."

_I had to come to make sure you were alright. _"He's gone, Tumaini."

Tumaini stiffened. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I let him go. He's headed to Pride Rock to find his family."

"But my father said—"

"I know what your father said, but the pride's going to be fine..." she trailed off her defensive reply and said, "Sometimes there are things you just have to do."

"Siri, he's in danger if he goes out there," he growled.

"He's not your child, Tumaini," she said wearily. "He has a family out there and he has to find them."

"I raised him like my child!" Tumaini shouted, causing her to flinch. She had never seen him angry before, and having it directed at her was by no means pleasant. "You had a responsibility! My father trusted you—_I _trusted you!"

The words stung, and she didn't even try to hide the hurt she felt from it. "You don't trust me now?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," he muttered, looking away. "For most of my life, he was all I had. If I lose him—I'm sorry, Siri, but if I lose him, I could never forgive you."

Seeing him so worried and upset, and disappointed was worse than his anger. She tried to think of something to say, a way to apologize even though she knew words alone wouldn't make it right. But he was still speaking, avoiding her eyes. "You're so unpredictable. Why did my father want you to be queen?"

_He doubts me,_ Siri thought despairingly. _How can I get him to trust me again?_

"...why do _I _want you to be queen?"

"What?" she said incredulously, hardly believing her ears. Surely he didn't mean...

Tumaini was staring at her again, and now the anger was gone from his eyes, replaced by resignation. "Why did you follow me, Siri? You couldn't have come all this way just to tell me about Kopa."

"I—" Siri began, but broke off. She didn't know if she could tell him anymore, now that she had lost his trust. Did she deserve to say it to him?

A loud roar was suddenly heard from the waterside. They both turned to see Tumaini's team fighting some lions that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. More were running towards them—ten, fifteen, twenty of them. Where did they come from?

"We have to help them," Tumaini said, even though they were clearly outnumbered. Before he or Siri moved a single step, they were both tackled to the ground and pinned down by a half dozen lions standing over them. They both recognized the burly tan lion that was clearly the leader.

"Well, it looks like I've finally caught up to you two," Jeraha said smugly, staring them down. He turned to the lions guarding them and ordered, "Take them to Mount Tempest. And meet me back at the Zuberi River as soon as you can."

_Zuberi River? He's looking for my father! _Tumaini realized. He exchanged glances with Siri but neither of them said anything. It was better if these lions didn't know of his relation to Malka. As they were led to the surviving members of his team, he gave them warning looks not to say a word as they were led away.

※※※

Fujo watched as Jeraha's team escorted Tumaini and his team away from the oasis. He hadn't expected Siri to show up, but it was of little consequence that she did. If she was killed at Mount Tempest, it would mean he would have one less rival to the throne once Malka was dealt with. _Speaking of Malka..._

Jeraha looked like he was still intent on finding him. Although everything had gone according to plan so far, Fujo knew he had to time his next move carefully. If he messed it up, Malka would be killed too soon and Janga would be still alive. Right now, he had to get to his brother before Jeraha did.

He had the perfect story for him, and it wouldn't even be a lie. _His son has been captured, and as a bonus, Kopa has apparently run off on his own. If that's not an incentive to get my brother to Mount Tempest, I don't know what is._

Fujo made sure that the others were well away from the oasis before he dashed off. _Sorry to play you for a fool again, Jeraha. But you really were nothing more than a pawn in my plan._

※※※

The scent of blood grew stronger the further in they went. Simba's eyes constantly flicked from one direction to another, on the alert for signs of trouble.

There was no sound in this part of the forest, as if the animals themselves had fallen into a hush because of some unspoken tragedy. There was the fading, barely noticeable scent of lions that had been here not long ago, and it grew fainter as the blood scent grew stronger.

"There's a clearing up ahead," he told the others. "Stay sharp, this could be a tr—"

And then he spotted the lioness lying still in the clearing. She looked familiar, and her scent was one that he knew well.

"No," Simba whispered, forgetting his precautions and running straight towards her. The others followed, also staring at the lioness in shock. _It can't be..._

It was Sarabi. She lay completely still, her fur matted in dried blood and her throat stained with crimson. Her expression was completely devoid of pain; on the contrary, her eyes were closed and there was a small smile on her face. If not for her numerous wounds, she looked almost like she was sleeping.

Mateka slowly approached Sarabi's body. "I'm sorry, Simba," she said quietly, staring down at the gentle lioness sadly.

"What was she doing here?" he whispered. "Who did this to her?"

"It could be Janga," Tama said darkly. "She wouldn't be the first of her kind to murder her own family..."

Afua was examining a few strands of pitch black fur scattered on the grass. Kula sniffed the air. "I don't think Sarabi was alone. There could be a few others elsewhere in the forest."

"Sire, should I go look for them?" Zazu asked nervously. Simba, his eyes on his mother's still form, nodded slowly.

"I'm bringing her back to Pride Rock," he said after the hornbill flew off.

"Simba, we have to keep going," Kula said gently but firmly. "Janga could be anyw—"

His head snapped up suddenly, causing her to take a step back. But his voice held nothing but anguish and pleading. "Kula, I can't leave her here."

"Let's bring her back," Mateka said. The others didn't object further, and watched in silence as Simba slowly slipped Sarabi's corpse onto his back.

"If Zazu finds any others, we should carry them back as well," he said. "If we—"

At that moment, Zazu burst out from over the treetops. He looked frantic. "Sire, we have to go now! There are lions closing in on us!"

The team stiffened, looking around the clearing with great alert. If they made a run for it, Simba would never keep up if he was carrying Sarabi. Yet none of them could tell him to leave her there.

There was no time to make a decision, however, for a blur launched out from the trees and tackled Simba. Sarabi rolled off him and lay sprawled on the ground. As he swiftly got back to his paws and faced the dark grey lioness that attacked him, the others saw that there had to be a score of lions emerging at least.

"Simba, let's get out of here," said Kula urgently.

"None of you are going anywhere," said Kivuli, her silver eyes trained on Simba. "Were you looking for us? I'd be more than happy to take you to Janga..."

He didn't seem to notice how the odds were against them. There was a fiery rage in his eyes, and he gave a deafening roar and lunged at her.

Kivuli was ready, darting to one side. She swiped a claw at him, but he ducked the blow, and to her surprise, headbutted her in the ribs. She slammed into a tree, her breath knocked out of her.

"Attack," she gasped, and her lions darted forward. But Simba showed no sign of fear, knocking them aside one by one. Any foe that came close to him was brought under by his relentless fury. Even Kivuli was careful to keep her distance as she recovered her breath. _Perhaps this will not be as easy as I thought._

The others were having a little more trouble. They tried hard to protect Simba, who was striking at every enemy lion with little regard to his own safety, but no matter how hard they tried, it was clear that they would lose this fight. Afua was the first to notice that they were slowly being surrounded. But it was Kula who called to him, "Simba, we have to make a run for it!" He didn't even seem to hear her. He was now fighting his way through the mass of lions and trying to get to Kivuli, his eyes blazing with vengeance.

"Simba, it's no use!" she persisted. "This isn't doing us any good!" The others were starting to become surrounded. Their time was running out.

Afua looked to Mateka, who was fighting alongside him. He had an idea, a stupid one, but it was clear that Simba wasn't going to listen to reason. He hoped his idea would work. "I'm going to get Simba!" he shouted.

To her credit, she didn't ask questions. Not that there was time for it. "I'll cover you!"

The two young lions lunged together, knocking enemies aside and forcing their way through their line. They reached Simba in two bounds and shoved away the lions that were trying to surround him. They had to act quickly before Kivuli could catch on.

Simba clawed at one lion, then another, and Afua and Mateka took down two more. There were more closing in, but they were approaching more carefully, and Afua moved fast. _I have no idea if I can do this, _he thought, momentarily faltering from doubt. He sheathed his claws and clenched them into fists.

And then he punched his king hard under the chin. Before the older lion even had the chance to register shock, Afua's other paw came down, smashing him hard over the head. Simba crumpled without a sound.

Kivuli and her lions stopped, momentarily confused by what they were seeing. But he didn't stop to see their reactions, instead shifting himself under the unconscious lion in one smooth move. And he ran.

He ran like he never ran before. It was as if he had no weight on his back at all, as if his burst of adrenaline was fuelled by determination alone and could keep him going for as long as necessary. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kula and Tama spring into motion too, running after him with numerous enemy lions in their wake. But they were clearly tired from the fight, and had trouble keeping up with him even though he was carrying a fully grown lion.

Kivuli was the first to snap into action, and she lunged at Tama. But Mateka was just as quick, and collided with her hard, sending both lionesses tumbling to the ground. As she tried to stand up, she felt herself being pinned down by two other lions. The grey-furred lioness stood up, and hissed, "Go after them, don't let them escape! If they make it into the mountains, we'll never catch them!"

As most of her followers complied and dashed off, she turned her attention to Mateka. "And you are coming to Mount Tempest with me."

※※※

Afua had no idea where he was going, but he didn't slow down. He simply ran on instinct, and wasn't aware of exhaustion or his surroundings; the single desire to ensure Simba's safety was all that kept him going.

Before he knew it, he was on the side of a mountain, high off the ground, yet he couldn't recall how he had gotten there. Suddenly, as his sense of awareness returned to him, he was hit by a sudden spasm of weakness, and without warning, collapsed onto the ground. He felt Simba slip off him and hit the rocky ground with a _thud_, but Afua couldn't do anything more than gasp for breath. His chest was heaving, but he didn't feel like air was entering his lungs at all. A burning sensation grew in his torso and face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zazu flying down towards him, and he could hear the sound of rapid pawsteps of not two, but many lions. _Not Kula and Tama then. Is it those other lions? How did they find me...?_

Afua blinked and saw a pair of gentle blue eyes staring down at him. They belonged to a lioness who was looking at him in concern. "Afua..."

"Nala?" he gasped. A moment later, he felt a twisting pain in his stomach. Before he could say anything more, he threw up, feeling as if the last of his strength was expelled from his body in that same instant. His vision swam and the burning feeling in his throat faded as he felt himself fall to the ground and the darkness closed in on him.

※※※

Rafiki was sure the screaming would have been heard by the entire Pridelands if not for the thunderstorm that had erupted over them tonight.

Kiara was lying in the hollow of the baobab tree, and although he couldn't see her from his perch under a leafy canopy, he knew that she wasn't doing so well. And as much as he hated to see the young lioness in pain like this, he knew that there was nothing he could do for her until...until it was over.

_She will be alright,_ he had promised Kovu. Although there was one thought he didn't dare say. _It is her heart that will be in the most pain. _A flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, momentarily lighting up the outline of the massive tree. The heavy rain continued to fall, and for a moment all he could hear was the sound of it splattering down on the leaves above his head, like a great rushing noise.

And then Kiara let out a sharp drawn-out scream as the crash of thunder echoed across the sky. _It is as if the Great Kings themselves are weeping. They already know what will come to pass, even if she has not yet accepted it. _For Rafiki had seen her signs, and already knew what it meant for the princess. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

She screamed again, not as high-pitched but this time sounding almost delirious, and although he knew the old mandrill knew he couldn't do anything for her, he swung down from his perch and leaped down into the hollow.

Kiara lay on the stony hollow floor, writhing and convulsing in agony. She was curled up and clutching her stomach, shuddering as the scream died out. Kovu was beside her as always; he hadn't broken his nightly vigil even once despite the fact that he was clearly tired from losing so much sleep. He was murmuring soothingly in her ear, but she didn't seem to hear. Her eyes cracked open as Rafiki approached, and she whispered, "Rafiki, is the cub going to be alright?"

Rafiki laid one hand on her shoulder, feeling the feverish heat radiating off her body under his palm. But all he said was, "You should rest, Kiara."

He stayed next to her the entire night, doing his best to comfort her. Despite his exhaustion after caring for her for days on end, he knew that it was the least he could do for her on this final night. His eyes met Kovu's, and the young lion seemed to already know what was happening even if his mate hadn't accepted it yet.

Rafiki closed his eyes and exhaled silently. _With the dawn will come the end of a life that will never even begin. I am sorry, Kiara. But your cub will be dead by sunrise.  
_

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**Yes, I'm ending the chapter on another depressing note. As one of my reviewers said, reading this will probably horrify the little kids, so I hope you all heeded the T-rating and are of appropriate age. In other news though, Afua will begin to play a bigger role in the rest of the series from now on.**


	9. True Intentions

**[Author's Note]**

**You guys are awesome, did I ever tell you that? I honestly wasn't expecting to receive so much feedback before the story's even been fully posted yet. What's even better, so many of you have told me book 2 is much better than book 1. This means a lot to me, since I know I'm doing this right and keeping you all interested in reading more. Thanks so much for everyone for supporting me, whether it's through reviewing, favouriting, following, or even just reading past the prologue. I'm aware that I pester you all to give me criticism, but I hope you know that your encouragement is also very important to me. I know the story's not done, but why hold back on giving a thank you to my fantastic readers, right? Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you guys read the actual chapter now :)  
**

* * *

Hamu was the first to notice Fujo running down the Zuberi River. Even from a distance, she could tell that there was an urgency to his pace, and quickly went to find Malka. The king and his team were busy investigating what was possibly a trail left by some lions, but he called a halt and immediately regrouped them when she gave him the news.

Fujo had clearly run a long way in a short period of time, and he looked uncharacteristically flustered. Between gasping breaths, he panted, "Malka—Kopa's missing—Tumaini—captured—"

"What?" said Malka, aghast. "What happened, where are they?"

"Tumaini was ambushed—he's being taken to Mount Tempest—you have to go now. I can't stay long—my team is looking for Kopa, we might have found his trail—"

"Go," said the king immediately. "Bring him back. I'll...I'll find Tumaini."

Despite his clear exhaustion, Fujo took off, dashing back the way he came. Without wasting another moment, Malka said, "I'm calling off the search. We're going to Mount Tempest."

※※※

"Nala, he's coming around," said Kula.

Nala hurried over as Afua stirred from where he was lying. His eyes opened and he looked up at the lions gathered around him. "Hey, Afua. How do you feel?"

"Not great," he admitted. He tried to stand up but couldn't muster the energy and sprawled back onto the rocky ground.

"Just rest for a while," the queen said. "You've had quite a long run."

"Yeah, I—" suddenly Afua realized something. "Kula! Hey, you made it! Did we do it? Did we lose them?"

"_You _did it, Afua," said Kula with a smile. "I don't know how in the world you managed to run so fast with Simba on your back, but we made it." Her smile faded a little. "Most of us, anyway."

"Wait, what do you mean?" He looked around and realized that the lioness sitting off to the side alone wasn't Mateka. It was Tama.

"We've lost Mateka," said a quiet voice. Every lioness moved out of the way as Simba slowly approached him.

Afua felt an uneasiness at the words. "She—she's not dead, is she?"

The king didn't say anything. Kula spoke for him. "We don't know, Afua. There's a chance she might have been captured."

"And what difference is there?" Everyone was startled, for Tama was suddenly behind them, glaring venomously at Simba, who was looking down at his paws. "If she is alive, do you have any idea what they're going to do to her?"

"They're not monsters, Tama," said Kula.

"They ambushed us and were going to kill us," Tama hissed, sharply turning on her. "And for all I know, they might have gotten her."

"Tama, I'm sorry to hear that," said Nala. "But there was no way you could have known—"

"But there was!" she shouted. "We had a chance, we could have escaped! But I've lost Mateka, and why? Because of _him!_" She bared her teeth at Simba. "I've lost Tojo because of one fool of a king, and now I've lost my daughter because of another! I always knew you were an imbecile, it should have been you instead—"

"Tama, that's enough!" snapped Afua, surprising everyone but mostly himself. It was the first time he had spoken sharply to anyone, and she looked so shocked at his outburst that she fell silent instantly. He felt as if he were treading on dangerous ground here, but he decided to speak his mind before it slipped away from him. "Have a little empathy—we just found out Sarabi was dead. Simba was grieving, he didn't want any of this to happen. You're not doing any good by acting like this."

"No, she's right," said Simba quietly. He looked up to meet Tama's gaze, and his eyes were full of remorse. "This is my fault. I should have been thinking more clearly. I put you all in danger, and for that, I'm sorry. Especially to you, Tama. If your daughter's still alive, I'll do everything I can to rescue her."

"We don't even have any idea where she is," snapped Tama, but sounding a little less vicious than before. "How are we supposed to find her?"

"Actually, we have a few leads," said Nala. "Zazu spotted a group of lions coming down the Zuberi River. If they're Janga's lions, we can figure out what they're doing and where they came from."

"Doesn't sound like much," remarked Kula. "What's the other lead?"

"Zazu says there are lions prowling about a nearby mountain on the other side of this range. It's full of openings, and a lot of them are lurking around. If that's where Janga is, then it's a good bet they're holding captives there." Her expression became grim. "I have a feeling they've taken the mountain from another pride."

"Wait," said Simba slowly. "You don't mean..."

"That's right," said Nala. "If I had to guess, I'd say our old friend Malka has had a run-in with Janga. And we'll find Mateka at Mount Tempest."

Afua abruptly stood up, despite his previous fatigue, and wordlessly stormed off. The others looked surprised, but Nala took note of his reaction and although she had no idea what the matter was, she said, "I'll go talk to him." She hurried off after him.

He hadn't gone very far, just around the bend in the mountain path, and lay there, staring defiantly at her as she approached. The queen sat down next to him and asked gently, "Afua, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He looked away and stared fixedly at the rock wall. The gesture reminded her of the times he had become sulky over something petty as a cub, and it almost made her smile.

"Well, first of all, you shouldn't be exerting yourself when you should still be resting. We're not going to leave until you're ready, you know."

"I'm not going."

"To Mount Tempest? Why?" But now Nala already had her suspicions, and wondered if she was finally about to figure out what had happened to Afua all those years ago in the rockslide.

"I don't want to see them. Malka, or—or Tumaini." He spat the name.

"You know Malka?" she asked curiously, encouraging him to continue.

"He's my father," Afua muttered.

"You never told me that."

"Yeah well, he's not very good at being a father."

"I knew him. He was nice when he was a cub."

"He sure acts like one sometimes."

Nala chuckled. "So, all this time you were really his son. I should have guessed...you kinda look like him."

"Don't!" Afua snapped. "I don't want anything to do with him. That's why I stayed at Pride Rock..."

"How'd you end up in the rockslide, Afua?" she asked softly. He sighed and turned to look at her, and she could see years of suppressed pain and desolation in his eyes.

Slowly, reluctantly, he explained what had happened the day he had been found by the Pridelanders in the gorge. There was a small pause every time he mentioned his parents or his brother Tumaini, and sometimes when he was talking about them, his voice betrayed the bitterness he had been hiding so well for most of his life. Nala listened patiently and without interruption, and when he was finished, her expression was one of utmost sympathy.

"That must have been terrifying...you were lucky to have made it out alive..."

"Yeah," muttered Afua. "No thanks to my _brother_..."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, I'm pretty sure he meant to hurt me," he growled. "The whole time I could hear him, taunting me, 'Run! Run, squirt! I thought you weren't a coward!' He was throwing rocks down at me, and calling _me _a coward...I can't believe he's gonna get to be king one day. Just because he's older..." He trailed off, muttering darkly.

Nala felt a bit troubled at these words. She couldn't help but be reminded of Scar's jealousy of Mufasa, and what had happened what that jealousy went a bit too far. As much as she doubted Afua would do anything as drastic as hurt his own family, she felt that she needed to remind him of something. "Afua, they're your family. And you are a prince of the pride." _And no parent wants to live thinking that their child is dead, _she thought sadly, thinking of her own son Kopa.

But Afua shook his head stubbornly. "I'd rather not be prince if I have to live under Tumaini. I never want to see him again. I never want to see either of them again."

"Not even if they're in danger?" she asked. "Not even if they need your help?"

He shook his head again. "They don't need my help."

Kula appeared from around the bend, running hurriedly towards them. "Nala—oh thank goodness, there you are. Zazu's just returned, he says that group of lions are being attacked. Their leader—he said his name was Malka—he asked to bring help. Simba's getting ready to bring everyone back down the mountain to reach him, so we need to go now!"

"Thank you, Kula," said Nala. She turned to Afua, who was staring back at her, looking dumbfounded at the news. "Well Afua, what's it going to be? Are you coming?"

※※※

Kopa saw Fujo walking along the river, alone and in no particular hurry. He readied himself into an offensive stance, and with a lack of hesitation that surprised him, lunged swiftly and tackled the older lion to the ground.

He didn't know why, but he had been expecting it to go wrong—that Fujo would be able to throw him off, or avoid his attack, or even know he was there the whole time. There was something about him that made him seem to be very perceptive, and the idea that he was an enemy made Kopa nervous in many ways. Nonetheless, he pushed aside his misgivings and firmly held Fujo down; the black-maned lion struggled briefly before realizing who his assailant was. "Now what is this about, Kopa?"

"You're a traitor," growled Kopa, letting the anger enter his voice. Now that he had Fujo here and was staring him in the face, the full extent of everything that had just happened hit him hard. "To Malka and to the pride."

To his credit, Fujo didn't show any sign of surprise. In fact, he actually laughed. "Betraying my brother and betraying the pride are two very different things, young Kopa."

"How? By siding with Janga?"

"Siding with Janga? She is the enemy. I'm trying to help the Pridelanders."

Kopa pressed his face closer to Fujo's so they were almost nose-to-nose. "Liar. You killed my grandmother. I saw you attack her."

"Your grandmother...ah, Sarabi..." A flicker of fascination entered Fujo's eyes. "Yes, I was wondering how you caught onto me. So you're Simba's son. That would put you in the same family as Janga herself. How interesting..."

"Why did you kill her?" Kopa demanded. His claws began to dig into Fujo's paws, who didn't even flinch.

"If you must know, Janga wanted Sarabi alive. Thought she'd be proud of her killing Simba and taking over the pride. That young lioness has a lot to learn, much like yourself. Of course, I killed Sarabi for a completely different reason. I tell the truth when I say I'm not working with Janga. But I need...provocation in order for the Pridelanders to retaliate. And once Simba finds his dear mother murdered, I know who he'll pin the blame on." Fujo gave a devious smile. "So I expect Janga will meet her end soon, but not before she deals with my brother first. The Pridelanders are much less dangerous as allies than she is, you see..."

"You want the pride," said Kopa, realizing the reasons behind his motives at last.

"Of course I want the pride, Kopa. Don't you see what an incompetent Malka is? He's lost half his family because he was such an utter fool. It's only because of me that our pride is still together."

"You're...you're despicable. You're...you're just like...just like Scar." Yes, he remembered that name now.

Fujo flinched, and for the first time, anger entered his eyes. With a single move, he thrust Kopa off of him and leaped back to his paws. "I am _nothing_ like him! Scar was even more incompetent than my brother. He wanted the throne because he was a selfish tyrant, and he didn't know the first thing about being a king! Whereas I have been advising my brother all this time, intervening when he made a poor decision, tailing after him to fix his stupid mistakes. Don't you see, young fool, that I'm doing this for the good of the pride?"

"You want to kill your brother for something that's not yours," growled Kopa, recovering and shifting his posture in case Fujo tried to attack him. "That tells me enough about you."

Fujo scoffed. "You're so naive, Kopa. You think it's always about being righteous and noble, and everything you deserve will come your way. You don't understand that sometimes things happen as they're not meant to be, and it's up to yourself to fix it. I never wanted to get rid of my brother, but I don't have a choice, do I? He gets to be king only because he's older, even if I would be able to do a better job than him! I'm not jealous of him—I fear for our future and I intend to fix it before our pride crumbles apart!"

"I trusted you," Kopa muttered. "You _helped _me."

"That's right. I could have left you for dead, or killed you myself, if I was your enemy. But I'm trying to do what no one else could, so you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way. Unless of course, you want to help me..."

"I'll never help you. I'm not letting you leave either."

Fujo no longer looked amused. "Oh, don't be stupid, Kopa. You're no match for me. I suggest you don't waste your life trying to stop me and go do something useful. Your friends, for example—they've landed themselves in a bit of trouble."

"What?" Kopa faltered, his preparation to attack momentarily forgotten.

"Tumaini and Siri were at the oasis and got themselves captured. They've been imprisoned at Mount Tempest, being interrogated about you, no doubt. I recall you kept saying how you couldn't let others be in danger because of you. And these are your friends, no less. So here's your chance to save them. Go, I won't stop you."

"You're lying. You just want me out of the way."

"That is a possibility," Fujo admitted. "But do you want to really take that chance? They are the only friends you've ever had. Oh, but that's right...you're a Pridelander. But that doesn't mean you should give up on Tumaini and Siri..."

_He's manipulating me,_ Kopa realized. He was already feeling a strong urge to run off to Mount Tempest, despite everything else he had found out recently. _What if he's setting some kind of trap for me? I'll have to risk it, if my friends are in danger..._

Fujo read his expression and knew that he had made up his mind. "You'd better hurry if you want to save them. I don't think it'll take Janga long to realize Tumaini was at the gorge with you. And don't worry, I'm not going to come after you. After all...we are still on the same side."

"Don't say that," snapped Kopa, but without further exchange, turned and dashed away, following the river that would lead him to Mount Tempest. Fujo stared after him as he disappeared into the distance.

_Good luck, Kopa,_ he thought. _And I mean that with complete sincerity._ He also turned around and started heading back the way he came. Now that Kopa was onto his plan, he would have to make sure Malka was taken care of before word got out. _And then, Janga, I'm coming for you._

※※※

It was a bleak morning that settled over the Pridelands. The lions had noted how Kiara was back in the den, although she didn't look like she slept at all and just laid there with a downcast look to her entire being. A few of them were awakened during the night and had seen Kovu carrying her back. Neither of them had said a word at all, and he too seemed dejected.

Although many of them were curious as to what had happened, no one asked any questions. Ni felt awkward about approaching them, and deciding not to force Kovu to leave her side just yet, kept the pride running on his own. But Kovu and Kiara's gloomy lapse seemed to have an effect over the entire pride, and everyone was aware that something was wrong.

The two of them were alone in the royal den, listening to the sound of the rain gently drizzling down on the rocks and grass outside. The storm had passed during the night, but neither of them were thinking about the weather.

Kovu couldn't recall feeling more tired than he did now, but he didn't feel like he could sleep. Not that he would, with Kiara staring emptily at the den ceiling and looking as if everything happy about her had died last night, with—

Suddenly she burst into tears, burying her face in her paws and sobbing uncontrollably. He put his paw around her shoulders, feeling helpless as she cried out her anguish. Just seeing her like this made him think over everything that had led up to this, and for the millionth time, he thought about all the things he could have done to prevent it. And although a part of him knew that it was unreasonable, he couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Kovu, I feel so...alone," she weeped.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said, trying to soothe her. He could tell that he sounded just as disheartened as she did though.

"You don't understand. To feel someone, a part of you...growing inside you, and just have it die. I couldn't...I couldn't do anything..."

"It's okay," he said again. "I...I'm here for you..." He felt stupid for saying it, but didn't know what else to say.

She raised her head and nudged it against his. He could feel her tears on his face. "Don't leave me, Kovu...I'm sorry, but...I can't stand the thought of being alone right now."

"I won't leave you. I promise."

Kiara sniffed. "I don't know what's worse...losing a cub before it's born, or...or after you get to watch them grow up and then you suddenly lose them...I can't imagine how my parents must have felt when they lost Kopa..."

"It must have been terrible for them," he agreed. Then he remembered. "But you know what? It's not so bad. He's alive—"

"What?" She moved her head back, staring at him incredulously. "What did you say?"

"Kopa's alive," Kovu said, wondering guiltily if he should have told her sooner. But maybe this would be comforting to her now. "Ni told me when he came here with the others."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"I...it wasn't the time. You had the cub to worry about. But Sarabi's gone to look for him."

"I'm going to find him," Kiara said without hesitation, looking out the mouth of the den as if she could actually see her lost brother. "I'm going to find him and bring him back—"

"Kiara, you should rest right now," Kovu began. "You're still—"

"We need to go!" she howled. "I need to see him, I need to know he's alive! I can't wait around like I did with the cub, I feel like I'll just lose him too if I do!" Her eyes were full of pleading. "Kovu, please...I never got to know my brother. Help me find Kopa."

He was silent for a moment. He had resolved to find Kopa just a few nights ago, but he wasn't sure if this was the right time. _Then again, when is the right time? We still have a chance to find him while he's close by...somewhere. Why wait? _"Alright," he said. "Let's go find Kopa."

They stood up and walked together to the exit. No questions were asked. Kiara had believed him right away when he told her. She wanted Kopa to be alive so badly, it would be all that drove her to keep going. Kovu had no idea where to start looking though. _I can ask Ni, but would he agree to let us go? We were supposed to take care of the pride—_He was reminded that he was once again putting personal matters before the whole pride, except this time he was actually going far away. It didn't seem fair, and he began to wonder if Simba would approve of such a thing, regardless of who they were looking for.

"Where is Kopa?"

Kovu stopped when he say Vitani standing outside the cave entrance, and realized that she had overheard their conversation. She looked both hopeful and disbelieving, and he already knew that she would not be turned away.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But we're going to keep looking until we find him."

What she said next hardly surprised him. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Alright." _She deserves to come too. And I feel safer if there's someone else to watch out for Kiara._"We'll have to make sure no one sees us though."

"Everyone's out in the Pridelands," said Vitani. "Giving you two some distance, I think. Are you sure you can travel, Kiara?"

Kiara nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Then let's get going. And Kovu?" She gave him a blunt look that he was quite familiar with. "You have a lot of explaining to do on the way."

"Yeah. I know."

The three young lions dashed off into the tall grasslands, heading in a direction away from where the rest of the pride usually ventured. Each of them was lost in thought as they left behind Pride Rock and the pain of what had just been lost there, and it was with a burst of revitalization that they ran across the Pridelands, spurred on with the promise of finding the lost prince.


	10. Forgotten Friends and Forsworn Family

**[Author's Note]**

**Quite a mouthful of a chapter name, I know. But I thought it sounded cool, and I couldn't think of a shorter name that would define this chapter as well as this.  
**

**By the way, I recently finished making a Lion King Animated Music Video (AMV) called "Heavens Divide", which I'm very proud of. If I haven't messaged you about it already, please go to my profile page for the link. I strongly urge you to watch it if you enjoy AMVs, since I worked very hard on it and I for one do not like to do a mediocre job of things. Just leave a comment on the video page and let me know what your pen name is so I know you've seen it. Kay, that's all I wanted to share, onto the story! :)  
**

* * *

Even though Kopa had never been to Mount Tempest before, he knew that he was at the right place as soon as he reached it. There were too many lion scent trails pointing towards and away from the mountain range, and it led him very specifically to the small mountain that was filled with large entrances and exits all the way up the mountain. _So this is where Malka's pride lived. Those tunnels are interesting. Did they dig those themselves?_

_Concentrate. You can ask him later or something._ Shaking his head, he looked around cautiously, careful to stay in the cover of the tall grass that grew just adjacent to the mountain. He spotted a few lions patrolling the perimeter, but far less than the numbers he had expected. There were maybe six of them outside the mountain at most, maybe more inside. Most of them were probably out in the grasslands. _This might not be so hard after all. Then again, I wonder if Janga is here..._

Kopa had no idea how he was going to find the prisoners and rescue them. He assumed that they were being held inside Mount Tempest, but he had no idea how he was going to find his way around if he went in. He could get lost or even be captured himself.

_I don't have a choice. I'm not coming out of there without my friends. _Seeing that all the guards were currently out of sight from the entrance closest to him, he broke into a dash and hurried inside before the next one came around the corner.

Just like at Shira Hollow, he had no idea how the tunnels were going to be lit. He had expected there to be similar glowing plants inside or something, but what he saw was actually far different.

Fire. There were small pits dug into the sides of the tunnel where thick broken branches were thrown into a pile and were burning, throwing enough light onto the tunnel to see quite clearly. Kopa was careful not to step in the pits as he walked past them, watching for sounds of approaching lions. He was eager to cross it as quickly as possible; there would be no place to hide if he ran into someone in the tunnel.

As he moved quickly but silently down the tunnel, he realized that by coming here, he had given up his chance to warn Malka of Fujo's treachery. Of course, it was possible for him to find Malka once he freed Tumaini and Siri, but that could take a very long time. And who knew what things Fujo could have accomplished by then. _I don't even know where Malka is,_ he reasoned with himself. _I could be wasting more time by looking for him. At least I managed to find Mount Tempest. _Yet the thought didn't make him feel much better, as he was well aware that he had just put his friends before a larger group of lions that could be in just as much if not more danger.

Kopa tried to put his doubts out of his mind as he reached the end of the tunnel. He was already here, so he might as well do some good before he went to find Malka. The tunnel led out into a small chamber with numerous other tunnels pointing in different directions. Ignoring the nagging fear that he really would get lost, he picked the tunnel facing across from him, deciding to continuously head in a straight line unless he had to make another turn. There were still no signs of anyone, which heightened his sense of unease. How was he ever going to find his friends?

When he reached another chamber, he realized that he was now one level higher off the ground. The tunnel ended at a ledge that spanned the edges of the entire chamber. There were large stone boulders placed all around the walls for some indiscernible reason. He had to stop himself from crying out in shock when he saw the lions standing guard in the chamber below him; they were so still that he hadn't even seen them at first in the flickering firelight. Slowly, he inched back into the tunnel, keeping himself in the shadows.

Kopa could hear voices nearby, but they sounded like they were echoing into the chamber. He turned around and listened, but the sound didn't seem to be coming from behind him. It sounded almost like it was coming from below him, yet...not quite.

A group of lions were marching out from the tunnel directly below him and into the chamber. Most of them held themselves the same way as the guards, but a few of them looked like they were being herded in. _Prisoners, _he realized.

A guard approached the group and spoke with one of the lions that just arrived. After a short conversation, they rolled aside the boulders and moved the prisoners individually into the entrances in the chamber, before sliding the boulders back into place, each with a firm _click_. The lions that escorted the prisoners then left the chamber.

As silence filled the tunnel again, Kopa became aware of a quiet rushing sound off to his right. Looking more closely, he realized that the rock wall next to him was not completely solid, but had a rather large hole, blocked by a boulder. As he stepped closer to examine it, he felt a sudden cold wetness under his paws. Small rivulets of water were trickling out from between the cracks in the rock in a continuous stream and flowed down the gently sloping rock, dripping into the chamber below him.

He placed his paws on the boulder and tried to pry it away from the wall. It didn't budge however, and when he looked more closely, realized that the boulder was actually lodged _inside _the hole. Carefully, he pushed it instead, and this time managed to move it inward without too much difficulty.

Kopa was surprised at what he saw. On the other side of the hole was another passageway, almost as large as the one he was just in, but devoid of firelight. And it was plain to see why; a quiet but rapid current of water was flowing past him, pointing slightly downwards and towards the outside of the mountains. It was quite fascinating to see.

_A constant supply of clean water, moving from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Did the pride make these tunnels themselves? _He placed one paw into the water. The current was fast and surprisingly strong; he could feel it tugging at him even though the water was shallow. The water parted where the boulder sat in the tunnel, and the obstacle seemed to make it flow even faster. Kopa was irrepressibly reminded of a time when he and Tumaini had been living in the grasslands.

_It was a particularly hot day out, and Tumaini had suggested they take a bath to cool down. But when they tried to go into the river, they found that the current was too fast for them to relax properly. Frustrated and rather irritated at the heat, Kopa asked what they were going to do, when Tumaini suggested they dam the river._

"_How are we supposed to do that?" Kopa asked. "It's too fast to stop."_

"_Maybe not," Tumaini replied. "And we don't need to stop it. We just need to divert some water into the kopje."_

"_It still sounds impossible."_

"_Not impossible. I have an idea. Follow me."_

_Tumaini led him to some loose rocks clustered along the side of the river. They looked solid and rather hard to move. "These will do."_

"_Tumaini, I thought you said we were going to relax," Kopa groaned._

"_Come on, bear with me. We can't relax when it's this hot out. Besides, you're not a cub anymore, Kopa. Show me those muscles you've put on. We can do it."_

_It took a bit of work, but it wasn't as difficult as he had first thought. Before long, he and Tumaini were lying on their backs in the kopje's basin-like den in a pool of cold water. It wasn't until both lions were cooled down that something occurred to Kopa._

"_Tumaini," he said in a half-serious tone. "This is where we usually sleep."_

_His friend sat upright and looked at the water he had been lying in. They both realized that there was no way to get it all out. "Well...I guess we're sleeping outside tonight."_

Kopa smiled at the memory, wondering if it really was so long ago that he had nothing to do every day and there was nothing to worry about. He suddenly realized that he was getting distracted again and shook his head, returning his thoughts to the current situation. _Tumaini's in trouble. He could be anywhere around here. I can't waste any more time reminiscing. _Returning his attention to the boulder before him, he looked over it, and then peered back out to the chamber outside. The flickering light in the fire pits caught his eye, and he looked down at the water seeping past him. He had an idea, but it was a risky one and he wasn't even sure if it would work. Still, it was the only chance he had and he decided to take it.

※※※

Tumaini made sure Siri was in his sight the whole time they were escorted across the grasslands. He was so concerned about what would happen to them, namely what would happen to _her_, that he barely registered where they were going. It wasn't until they reached Mount Tempest that his attention was momentarily diverted.

He hadn't seen his old home in ages, but it still looked exactly the same. If it wasn't for all of Janga's lions patrolling the outside, he might have even liked coming back. His life here hadn't exactly been pleasant, but home was home no matter how he remembered it. But now, seeing it taken over by another pride was like a punch in the gut.

"They've unblocked the tunnels," Siri murmured.

"What?" Tumaini asked, his eyes moving from one enemy lion to another.

"When I saw Janga's pride here, they were having trouble unblocking the tunnels," she said. "Malka put in the boulders to keep them out. But it looks like they've unblocked it." Her expression darkened, and he saw that she was glaring at a sleek, dark-grey lioness that approached them. Her malevolent silver eyes swept over the five prisoners before she turned to one of the lions escorting them.

"What took you so long?" she asked, although she didn't sound angry. In fact, she asked the question rather casually, almost curiously.

"They were a long way from the outskirts of the Pridelands," the escort explained. "We found them at an oasis while we were heading for the Zuberi River."

The lioness' gaze lingered over Siri. "You're the one that came here before. The one that escaped."

"Kivuli," growled Siri. The dark lioness didn't say anything more, however, and turned back to the escort.

"Bring them inside." With that, she strode off, disappearing around the side of the mountain.

As Tumaini, Siri, and the others were led towards one of the mountain's entrances, he couldn't help but find the situation ironic.

_I felt like this place was a prison when I grew up here. Now it turns out it really will be._

※※※

Kopa could hear a group of lions approaching from the tunnel below him from the echoes of footpaws on stone reverberating into the chamber. He looked to the water tunnel again; the sound of the current had stopped, save for a few trickles. _This is taking longer than I thought. What if it doesn't work after all?_

The sound of footpaws were getting closer now, and he hoped they belonged to prisoners. Maybe if he caught the guards by surprise, he would have some help in breaking out the others. But he would rather avoid throwing himself at them since he was clearly outnumbered right now. His gaze shifted back to the water tunnel for the umpteenth time. _I can't just stand around here all day. I have to do something. I have to move—_

The sudden sound of rock scraping on rock was heard, and he instinctively edged back in case the guards looked his way. The boulder shifted just a bit, and a spray of water jettisoned onto the rock walls.

And then the boulder, which Kopa had shoved up into the water tunnel, was abruptly pushed outward and was propelled down the passageway. It didn't get far, however, lodging on the other side of the hole between the two tunnels. A massive cascade of water broke free, and now blocked by the boulder which prevented it from surging down the blocked water tunnel, flooded out the hole and into the adjacent tunnel.

Kopa turned and dashed ahead of the torrent, he leaped off the ledge at the end and into the chamber.

※※※

Tumaini had just entered the tunnel with the others when a movement caught his eye. To his absolute astonishment, he saw a blur of pale gold far launching itself at a surprised guard. He recognized the figure too well not to know who it was. "Kopa!"

A raging flood of water crashed down on them, extinguishing every fire in the blink of an eye and plunging the chamber into darkness.

※※※

As Kopa had hoped, the guards' vision was impaired by the sudden darkness after standing in the fire-lit chamber for so long. He managed to take down the first guard without a fight, and then a second one who didn't even see him coming. As he pounced at a third, he could make out the outlines of the prisoners snapping into action as well. They turned on their escorts, who could see better than their counterparts but were still quickly overwhelmed. When silence fell over the chamber, they stood around uncertainly, as if unable to believe what they had just done.

But two of the lions in particular quickly bound over to him. He knew instantly who they were as soon as one of them had called out to him.

"Kopa, I can't believe it!" Tumaini exclaimed. "How did you—where did you come from—all the water—"

"The flood tunnels," said Siri, putting the pieces together. "You blocked one of them, didn't you?"

"Yeah," said Kopa. He nudged Tumaini. "Just like the river, don't you remember?"

"You're a genius, kid," he said with a laugh. "Now come on, let's free the others."

As he walked over to the nearest boulder, Siri remarked, "You know, those tunnels were made so our dens wouldn't get flooded. It's funny that you actually used them to flood the chamber."

Tumaini was examining the stone floor beneath the boulder. "Clever."

"What?" Kopa asked, moving to join him.

"See how the floor's been carved really deeply here. It's smooth enough on either side, but there's a stop at the front that keeps it in place. So you can easily push it to the side, but not outwards."

"And if you're inside, you can't grip the boulder properly to push it sideways," Siri said, catching on.

"Exactly," said Tumaini. He rolled the boulder aside to reveal a half dozen lions lying inside. They looked up in surprise but didn't move. "Well, come on then. You don't want to sit around here all day."

One of the lionesses stood up and padded over to him. Even in the dark, it was clear to see that she was quite young. "Afua?" she said incredulously.

"What?" said Kopa and Tumaini simultaneously.

The other lions finally realized they were being freed and dashed out of the cave. As Siri and the others hurried to move the other boulders, the lioness shook her head. "Sorry, I thought you were someone from my pride."

"Your pride," said Kopa, hurrying forward. "Are you a Pridelander? Is Afua alive?"

"Yes, although he went with Simba, and—" The lioness broke off. Her expression became even more shocked when she looked more closely at him. "You...I know you..."

"You know me," he repeated urgently. "Who am I? What's my name?"

"Kopa," she whispered, as if hardly daring to say it.

"Yes!" Kopa shouted, his heart racing. "I knew it, I'm a Pridelander—and Tumaini..." He turned to his friend. "...Afua _is_ alive."

Tumaini was speechless at this revelation. But the lioness was becoming excited now too, and she moved closer, her eyes weaving over him, memorizing every part of him. "Kopa, I can't believe it! You're alive! How can this be—we all thought—" Her voice fell to a hush. "Wait until your parents see you...and your sister..."

"I have a sister?" Kopa asked eagerly. "What's her name?"

"Kiara."

He closed his eyes. "Yes. That sounds right. I think I remember..." He struggled to conjure up an image of his sister, connect a face to the name.

"You don't know if you remember?" she asked.

His eyes opened. "No," he said apologetically. "I...I think I lost my memory after I fell into the river. I knew you, right?"

"My name is Mateka," she said quietly, looking down. "I was one of your closest friends."

"Oh." Kopa suddenly felt guilty. _Must be awkward, meeting a long-lost friend after so long only to have him not remember you. _"I'm sorry. I wish I could remember."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come back to you." She looked up and smiled. "We can catch up when we're back at Pride Rock. But let's escape this place first."

"Are there any other prisoners here?" asked Siri, walking over. Every one of the rooms were opened, and there were at least thirty or so lions gathered around the chamber now.

"No," Mateka said. "They haven't managed to capture too many. But we can't just go back out. Even with all of us, we'd have to fight our way out. And we wouldn't be able to lose them in the open ground."

"That's okay," said Siri. "I know another way out. We'll be gone and they won't even realize it."

※※※

Malka knew that they were really done for this time. His team couldn't hold off all these lions for much longer if they kept coming in from all sides like this. They were only five lions, and thus far he actually considered them lucky that none of them had been seriously injured and even managed to take the enemy numbers down a couple of notches.

The irony of the situation suddenly struck him, and despite everything he felt an odd twisted amusement. _I've been a coward my whole life, running away from trouble and leaving someone else to deal with it. And now that I get the chance to make a stand for the first time in who knows how long, it looks like it'll be my last. It's a fitting way to go out, at least._

And although he knew he should be worrying about his own safety, his most overwhelming emotion wasn't fear, but frustration. Tumaini and Siri had been captured, and he couldn't even do anything about it now. His only hope at this point was that they would be able to escape themselves.

The fight was taking a turn for the worse. One of his lions fell, and then another. He backed up so that he and his remaining two lions were facing outwards, ready to make one last attack and go down fighting. _Guess that hornbill wasn't able to find help after all. It was worth a try though._

As if by some unspoken order, the three of them lunged at once. Malka dove into a mass of lions, clawing and biting and swiping at everything that came close to him. He felt a strange exhilaration. This was how it must be to be truly fearless, and as he felt himself being knocked to the ground, he realized that it was different from being brave. To be fearless meant that you had nothing left to lose, didn't care what happened to you, and were ready to die. He managed to knock back one more lion before another pinned him down.

There was a flurry of fur and claws, and Malka felt his opponent fall off him as another lion tackled him. Suddenly, he was aware that the roars around him didn't belong to the enemies he had been fending off, but eight or nine unfamiliar lions. Well, most of them were unfamiliar. He instantly recognized the black-maned young male that had saved him, even if he looked much different than the last time he had seen him. And it had been a lifetime since he had last seen him.

"Afua?" he gasped.

"Get up, father," Afua said, but didn't have time to say more as he moved to deal with another lion rushing him. Malka felt a newfound energy seize him, and was up in a flash to rejoin the fight. This time, it wasn't the same as the previous feeling of fearless recklessness, but replaced by a desire to live, and more importantly, to protect those around him that he cared about.

_Now this...this is what it means to be brave._

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**The end is near! Despite all the depressing stuff that happened in this story, it looks like Kopa's finally about to meet his family, and Tumaini will see his kid brother again, right? _Right?_ Well, you'll have to wait for the conclusion of book 2 to find out! Ciao!  
**


	11. Kopa's Decision

They didn't run into any more of Janga's pride as they continued deeper into the mountain under Siri's lead. Kopa hoped that their luck would hold; perhaps Janga didn't see the need to assign her pride too far into the habitat, as they were already spread thin all over the Serengeti. They just might get away undetected after all.

As much as he wanted to ask Mateka more about his past life and everyone he used to know, he decided he could wait. After all, Tumaini was currently pestering her with questions about Afua, and he certainly wasn't short on things to ask.

"Is he healthy?"

"Plenty. He's grown up strong. Not a bad hunter either, for a male—"

"What does he look like?"

"Almost exactly like you. A little younger maybe, but it was hard to tell the difference in the dark—"

"Is he talkative or quiet?"

"A bit on the quiet side. But—"

"What does he usually do in the mornings?"

"Kings above, Tumaini, you're acting like his mother," remarked Kopa, amused. His friend ignored him.

"Is he happy at Pride Rock? Does he have lots of friends?"

Mateka glanced at Kopa. "Actually, Kopa was his best friend."

"Told you," Kopa said to Tumaini. The tan-coloured lioness frowned, remembering something.

"So, Tumaini, how is it that we found your brother in a rockslide? The poor kid was barely alive when Simba brought him back to Pride Rock."

Tumaini's demeanour immediately deflated. "It's a long story," he murmured.

"That's not good," said Siri, cutting the conversation short. The large group of lions exited what seemed like the twentieth tunnel they passed through and stopped in yet another chamber, this one smaller than the prisoner area. They stood front of a tall pile of large cracked boulders lying against the wall.

"What is it, Siri?" Kopa asked, the momentarily cheerful conversation forgotten.

"There was a secret passage here," she said, indicating the rocks. "I didn't think they'd find it, but..."

"I remember this passage," said Tumaini, padding up and looking over the rocks. "It leads all the way to where the Zuberi River meets the Pridelands. I used to sneak out through this way all the time. The passage used to look like part of the wall," he added to Kopa.

"I kinda guessed."

"It doesn't look too bad," said Tumaini. "The rocks are loosest at the top. We can start moving them."

Everyone formed a line alongside the walls. Tumaini carefully climbed the pile and began nudging down the stones at the very top. The stones were rolled down the line by the others and set aside. Siri quickly joined him, and they began clearing the rubble to either side.

"This tunnel was actually designed to be collapsed quickly in case of an emergency," grunted Siri as she heaved another rock down the pile. "But Janga's lions didn't do it properly."

"Can you collapse it after we're all through?" asked Tumaini, shoving a rock off with his paws.

"Yeah."

"Good. We don't want Janga following us down the tunnel."

※※※

It didn't take long for the tide of the battle to turn in Malka's favour. Not only did the newcomers outnumber Jeraha's team, but they took them completely by surprise and managed to overpower over half the enemy lions in a heartbeat. And what was more, he instantly recognized the leader that had come to their aid.

"Simba!" he called. A lion tried to lunge at Malka, but he ducked and rammed him hard with his shoulder. Afua, who was still by his side, followed up by swiping the lion across the face with his claws. "You won't believe how glad I am to see you!"

Simba gave him a quick toothy grin but kept his attention on Jeraha, whose eyes were now fixed on him. As if by an unspoken agreement, they were both fighting their way through the mass of lions, trying to get to each other.

Malka wanted to help him, but he saw that there were now a trio of enemy lions moving to take on Afua, and he knew he had to stay with his son. He pounced on the nearest lion, sinking his claws deep into the back of his neck.

Despite everything all the commotion and the roars of lions around them, his sole thought was to protect Afua. A single question ran through his mind with every passing second. _How is Afua alive? Has he been with Simba all this time? Why didn't he come back? _He had a feeling on the reasons, however, and it tugged at his conscience. Still, he pushed it aside, and not just because he had to focus on fending off the enemy lions. He wasn't sure he liked the answer.

Jeraha had almost made it to Simba when a tawny-furred lioness slammed him to the ground. It was Nala—another old friend. But the large lion easily pushed her off and leaped back to his paws, teeth bared at her.

"Nala," he snarled.

"Jeraha." Her stern blue eyes were hard. Simba stood by her side, also glaring at the tan lion.

"So that's how it's going to be," Jeraha said, looking from one lion to the other.

"You threaten my friend, my mate, and my pride," Simba growled. "And you're outnumbered. I'm not going to—"

"Alright then." Jeraha turned to Nala, as if he hadn't heard him. "I saved you from those hyenas all those years ago. I guess I can kill you too if I have to."

"What?" Simba said. Nala faltered, her eyes shifting momentarily to his.

It was a mistake. Jeraha tackled her, slamming her straight into Simba and knocking them both to the ground. Before either of them could recover, he leaped over them and dashed away. "Retreat! Now!"

Malka had just ripped the third lion off Afua with a powerful swipe to the back of the head when he looked up to see Jeraha run off with his remaining two lions. Some of the Pridelanders stared after them and a couple looked like they contemplated giving chase, but Simba said, "Don't bother. There could be more of them, and we need a plan before we go after them."

Malka noticed that the lion he had attacked was dead, as were all the others Jeraha had left behind. He looked over Afua, who was a little scratched up but otherwise fine. "Afua..."

Afua's gaze was neutral but there was a guarded, tentative look to him as well. Malka could see every emotion he had undoubtedly stored away before the rockslide and after it, and it made him feel more guilty than any open anger or hurt his son would show. The pride king felt an overwhelming feeling of exuberance as it sank in that Afua really was alive, although he almost felt as if he didn't deserve to feel it. "I didn't know you were alive," he whispered.

Simba walked over with Nala. "He's been with me, Malka," he said. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I had no idea he was your—"

Malka broke into a smile as he felt tears well up in his eyes. "Thank you for taking care of my son, Simba." He looked to Afua, who still hadn't spoken and was now looking down. "You're so grown-up, so strong...was Simba a better father to you than I was, Afua?"

His son looked up to stare at him, his expression unreadable. Malka wondered if he would ever be forgiven for the unhappy cubhood he had given him. _Maybe he shouldn't forgive me. He's lived his own life with the Pridelanders. I'm content just knowing that he's fine...even if he never calls me father again._

And then Afua's eyes softened, and the young lion stepped closer to him. "You've changed."

The two words were enough for Malka to start crying in earnest. He wrapped his paws around Afua's neck, sobbing unashamedly. "I'm so sorry, Afua. For everything." The realization that both his sons were his again gave him a new feeling of rejuvenation. He looked up to the sky, wondering if his mate was watching them from the heavens.

_Look at me, Kumi. I'm a father again. And I'll do it right this time...for you._

※※※

After several rounds of moving the rocks, it became clear that the rubble at the bottom was so solid and the rocks so large that they couldn't move it any more. Siri and Tumaini leaped down, and everyone gathered around them again.

"Okay, that's as big as the hole's going to get," she said. "We'll have to climb over this one at a time. Mateka, you go first. Lead everyone to Pride Rock. I'll go in last to collapse the tunnel."

Mateka nodded. Her eyes lingered on Kopa momentarily before she scaled the pile of rocks and leaped through the hole. The others began to follow, quickly darting into the darkness one by one. Everyone was silent now, watching and waiting for their turn at reaching freedom.

"Tumaini, Kopa, go," Siri said. Both lions shook their head simultaneously and didn't say a word. She sighed, deciding not to waste time arguing. Twenty lions left...then thirteen...then eight...

The sound of distant footpaws caused everyone to turn around. It sounded like it was a long way off, but there seemed to be so many of them it echoed all the way into the chamber. "Go, go!" she whispered, beckoning at two lions closest to the exit. They hurried through the passage, now moving rather frantically. One of them accidentally kicked a piece of rock, and it tumbled free and crashed down on the floor.

The sound of the footpaws stopped, and then quickened and became louder.

"Keep going!" Siri urged. Another lion made it through the hole, and then another, and then another. But the rubble was loosening now from all the climbing, and several rocks broke away. Now there was only her, Kopa, and Tumaini left.

"Kopa, get up there!" she said. He hesitated, then bound up the rubble. He carefully perched at the top.

"Come on!" he called. "We don't have much time, I'll pull you up."

"Tumaini, go," Siri said.

"You first," Tumaini replied flatly.

"Tumaini, we don't have time for this!" she pleaded. The sound of the footpaws were becoming quite clear now.

"I know," he said with a deceptive calm. "So hurry up. I'll be right behind you."

She gave a growl of frustration and clambered up onto the rocks. The rubble was now very flimsy, and she was having difficulty finding purchase. Kopa struggled to grasp her paw, but she was just out of his reach. "You're so difficult, you know that?"

Tumaini hurried forward and pushed her upwards with his shoulders. "I have to make sure you're safe first," he said. Her paw grabbed onto Kopa's, and she put her other paw on the rocks. Straining, he managed to pull her up and over as a hail of large rocks spilled out from the rubble.

Tumaini gave a cry of pain as numerous rocks fell hard on him, causing him to fall back and land on the floor. Several of them landed on his chest and one pinned down his hind leg.

"Tumaini!" shouted Kopa, hardly caring now if they were heard or not.

"Tumaini, what happened?" asked Siri, scrambling to her paws. "Are you alright?" She tried to climb up the rocks from the other side but couldn't.

"I'm okay," Tumaini said, pushing the rocks off him. He tried to stand but winced when he put weight on his back paw.

"Come on, Tumaini, I'll pull you up," Kopa called urgently. His friend tried moving again but gave a gasp of pain as soon as his injured paw touched the floor. He shook his head.

"Siri, collapse the tunnel."

"No, I can't—"

"Now!" Tumaini roared.

"Tumaini, give me your paw!" Kopa insisted.

"You won't be able to pull me up, Kopa," Tumaini said, that awful calmness returning to his voice. "I think I broke my leg. There's no way I can climb."

"Tumaini..." Kopa murmured.

Tumaini closed his eyes and exhaled. When he opened them again, there was no fear in his expression. "I'm glad you're going to find your family, kid," he said with a small smile. "Your real family, I mean. Say hello to my brother for me." He looked over his shoulder, towards the sound of the approaching footpaws. It seemed Janga's lions had found the right tunnel at last, the one that would lead straight to them. "Now get going, both of you."

Kopa slowly turned away and quietly said to Siri, "Collapse the tunnel."

She was standing next to the wall of rocks, staring through it as if she could actually see Tumaini. There were tears streaming down her face. "What am I supposed to tell your father?"

"Tell him to take care of you," Tumaini said. "I had promised it would be something I'd do myself, but..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Siri."

Slowly, she turned to the massive arc of rocks that lined the perimeter of the tunnel just outside the entrance. The part of the passageway had been carved out to fit hundreds of rocks, all cleverly holding each other in place. And she knew which one to remove that would bring them all down. She grasped it with both paws, and whispered, "I love you." She didn't say it louder, for fear he would hear it. She didn't deserve to tell him that.

Tumaini watched as the first of the enemy lions turned the corner of the tunnel and came into view. They were bolting straight towards him, but he turned his back on them, facing the rubble instead. "I love you," he murmured, wishing she could hear it. But he didn't want her to catch those words and remember them after he was gone. He watched as Kopa slowly turned to the exit.

Siri pulled the rock hard, ripping it clean out of the wall. A rumbling filled the tunnel and its roar filled the entire chamber as rocks came pouring down one by one. She ducked back to avoid getting hit, and it was only then that she realized Kopa wasn't beside her.

Tumaini couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Kopa leap over the rubble and land back in the chamber. He was so shocked he even forgot about the lions bearing down on them. "Kopa! What are you doing?"

"I couldn't leave you to die," Kopa whispered, nudging close to him. "Not after you chose not to leave me to die."

"But Mateka—and your family—"

"You _are _my family, Tumaini. For as long as I could remember."

"What were you thinking?" Tumaini moaned. "You should have escaped."

Kopa looked back at the rubble, which had settled and now completely blocked off the tunnel. "It's too late now."

At this, Tumaini said nothing more and his face became one of calm resignation. There was no more time to talk, nothing more to say. The two lions who had grown up like brothers turned to face the lions running into the chamber and waited in silence. There had to be at least twenty of them—it was obvious that there would be no chance of escape.

Kivuli strode forward from the group and coolly approached them. Her eyes were on Kopa the whole time. "So, you've finally shown yourself. You have the deaths of fifteen lions to answer for. I don't think Janga was expecting you to come to us, but I don't think she would mind when I bring you to her." Six lions moved to surround them. She glanced momentarily at the collapsed passage, figured out the rest, and turned on her paws. "Follow me."

Kopa placed one paw around Tumaini's shoulders and helped him limp out of the chamber. Together they walked away to meet Janga face-to-face for the first time.

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**Yes, I know. I'm evil. If you guys didn't hate me for book 1's ending, I'm pretty sure you do now XD**

**Ahem. But don't worry. There are three more books to come, and I'm going to reunite Kopa with his family sooner or later, right? In the meantime, proceed with the epilogue and the conclusion to book 2.  
**


	12. Epilogue

Fujo could hardly believe it. The lions had caught Malka by surprise, had them surrounded, and he was about to witness the death of his incompetent brother at last, when Simba had shown up and ruined everything. He watched in disgust as Jeraha called off the attack and broke and ran with what was left of his team. _That buffoon...he was so close. Why couldn't he have finished Malka and be done with it? I worked this hard to ensure my plan succeeds, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to trust Jeraha to do his part right._

He turned his attention away from Jeraha's retreating form, and saw to his surprise that Malka chose not to give chase. _Always a coward, my brother. How you're still the king is beyond me._ Now that Malka was in Simba's protection, he would be much more difficult to kill. _I will need to revise this plan now. I need time to think—_

And then Fujo saw them. Thirty lions or so, emerging from over a tall hill. They were walking along the Zuberi River and would soon enter the Pridelands. They were headed straight towards Simba and Malka. _It must be the prisoners. Kopa has freed them. _He cursed under his breath. Everything was slipping beyond his grasp now. Once Kopa told Malka about their encounter, Fujo could no longer play both sides. His entire plan was now shattered beyond repair.

_Nothing for it then. I'm going to need Janga's protection for the time being, until I can figure out what to do. Malka may be a fool, but he won't let my betrayal go unnoticed. He'll be sending lions to come find me. _Without another thought, Fujo turned and dashed off for Mount Tempest.

※※※

Everyone spotted the lions as soon as they were coming over the hill. They tensed, ready for another fight if need be.

"Zazu, who are they?" Simba asked as the hornbill landed before him, looking astounded.

"It's—Sire, I don't believe it! It's the prisoners! They've escaped!"

"Where's Mateka? Is she with them?" Tama demanded immediately.

"Yes, she's the one at the front, leading them this way," Zazu said, pointing. He jumped back to avoid getting trampled as the lioness snapped into action, sprinting off towards the prisoners.

"Mateka! Mateka, thank the stars you're alright!"

The young lioness spotted her, and also broke into a run. "Mom!" They nudged their faces together, as the rest of the former prisoners moved to join the other lions, calling out in recognition to Simba or Malka. A few of them even seemed to recognize Afua, although it was obvious who he was when he stood next to his father. Everyone was talking at once, hardly able to believe that so many of them had really escaped.

"Well, this certainly is a welcome sight," said Simba. "Who do you all have to thank for this miraculous escape?"

Everyone fell silent. A gold-furred lioness stepped forward, looking straight at him rather dolefully. "I took them to a tunnel, Your Majesty. And I collapsed it so no one could follow us."

Simba gave an approving nod. "Well done. It's heartening to see so many of my pride are safe, and I thank you for it. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"My name is Siri, but it's not me you should thank. I was a prisoner myself, and would still be if it wasn't for...for..." She took a deep breath. "...for your son, Kopa."

Simba heard the words, but his mind couldn't comprehend. _Kopa...Kopa?_

"Kopa is alive?" whispered Nala. Siri nodded.

"He was with us, but when we were escaping, Tumaini, Malka's son, was injured and couldn't come with us." She paused momentarily to look at Malka, whose expression was now paralyzed with dismay. Quietly, she finished, "Tumaini was the one who took care of Kopa after he lost his memory. So Kopa decided to stay behind rather than leave him. I believe they've both been captured by Janga."

Not a single lion moved a muscle. Even those who hadn't heard the story could tell that something was going on. Simba's eyes met Nala's, and then Malka's, and then Afua's. Finally, he said, "Then we're not done here yet. I'm going to Mount Tempest. Those who are willing to come with me are welcome to. For those who have already suffered there as a prisoner, I will understand if you don't want to go back. But I must go."

"I'm coming," said Nala.

"And me," said Malka.

"Me too," said Afua. Simba nodded, needing no explanation from them.

An old lion stepped forward. "Your son came for us when we were captured. I'm not going to leave a young lion like him to die after what he did for me."

"I'm coming too," said Tama. "I have my daughter again because of him, and for that, I make the same promise to you that you did when Mateka was captured."

"I will accompany you, Sire," said Zazu. "I may not be much use in a fight, but I can be of use in the sky. Protocol dictates that I should do everything I can for the well-being of the royal family, and...and I do find Kopa quite likeable."

As more and more lions spoke up to offer their help, Simba felt as if part of him were awakening from a great sleep. He had lived with the pain of losing Kopa for so long that he had eventually learned to shut out a part of himself so it wouldn't destroy him. He had believed that no matter what was in store for the rest of his life, the death of his son would always hang over him like a shadow as a constant reminder that he hadn't been watchful enough of those he cared about. Now that it turned out Kopa _was _alive, Simba was determined to find him and do everything in his power to make sure his son would never be lost to him again. And their family would finally be whole once more with the prince's return to the Pridelands.

"Hang on, Kopa," he whispered, looking to the mountains in the distance. "I'll bring you home. I promise."

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**And there you have it, book 2 is complete! I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who read this story and offered your support. Your encouragement and feedback is what keeps me going with this series. Now that I've posted every single chapter to Dawning at Nightfall, please go to my profile and vote on the poll there to rate this story. Note that this poll will close the day I post chapter 1 to book 3, which will be December 4, 2012. So make sure you don't miss it! And if this story has gotten you hooked for the sequels to come, be sure to add me to your following list so you'll be the first to know when I start posting _Kopa's Legacy: Heirs of the Pride_.  
**

**One more thing, if you enjoy stories about Kopa and feel like I've been depressing you too much, I strongly recommend you search up "The Lion King III: The Lost Prince" by Asante. I just discovered his writing recently, he's a great author and he even does his own story art for it (I'm very jelly). Also, his story is a lot funnier than mine, so if I've given you more angst than you cared for, he's your therapist XD  
**

**—IncarnateFirefly**

**P.S. Blooper reel for book 2 is up! Go onto the next chapter to find it, if you liked the one I made for book 1.  
**


	13. Bloopers and Outtakes

Incarnate nudged Asante as Kopa walked onto the set. The two writers whispered to each other and laughed under their breaths as he stormed over, not looking pleased at all.

"You both suck!" Kopa yelled, not caring about the stares he drew. This only caused Incarnate and Asante to burst out into hysterical laughter. "Plastic surgery? You had me thinking I was going into plastic surgery?!"

"Come on, Kopa, it was a joke," said Asante, the first to get his laughter under control.

"It's not funny!" Kopa roared. "You two had me freaking out!"

"That was kind of the point," said Incarnate, grinning. When Kopa didn't respond, he said, "We have all the makeup you need for both our sets. We wouldn't put you through plastic surgery, you know that."

"I wouldn't have gone anyway," the lion muttered. "I don't care how much you pay me. What are you doing here anyway, Asante?"

"Oh, just thought I'd drop in and see how the production comes along here," said Asante.

"It's not pretty," Incarnate said. "But it is a lot of fun to watch."

"Yeah, that's if your set is actually safe to use now," Kopa muttered. "I nearly died shooting the first story."

"Nearly," Incarnate pointed out. "Where's the fun without a little danger? Now come on, chin up, we've got a lot of work to do."

"At least you'll stop messing with me," grunted Kopa as he walked off into the makeup department to get ready. "Your story is going to be too depressing, I'm calling it now."

Asante stared after him, shaking his head and smiling. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

**[Blooper Reel]**

**Since book 1's blooper reel was so well-received, I've decided to continue making them for the sequels. And since this is my hard-earned opportunity to put in humour, I decided to make the best of it. So I figured I might as well give some references or even cameos to other writers I'm in touch with. Gotta have fun, right?  
**

**By the way, see Asante's "Distractions" meta-fiction if you're wondering what the plastic surgery joke is all about.  
**

* * *

"Prologue" Scene 2, Take 1

"Be gentle," said Kivuli as Taya and Kupinga put Janga on her back. "She's in very bad—" She stopped talking as Janga started to slip, pawing at empty air. She grabbed the side of Kupinga's face but still fell off and landed on the ground, leaving long red stains trailing off Kivuli's back.

Janga started laughing and Kupinga tried to wipe the fake blood off his face. "Oh come on," said Incarnate. "Is it that hard to stay on someone's back?"

"Well, this is very slippery," Janga said. "Not my fault your makeup artists smeared it all over me."

Incarnate gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Kivuli. Go get cleaned up. We're redoing the shoot when you're ready."

"This is disgusting," Kivuli grumbled as she walked by.

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Incarnate asked rhetorically.

"Can't I, you know, drag her back to the camp?"

This only made Janga laugh harder. But Incarnate shook his head. "It's a short scene, Kivuli. Let's just get it over with."

"I hate your scripts," Kivuli muttered as she stalked off to get washed.

※

"The Runaway Heir" Scene 1, Take 1

"After your father died, I gave up my position as queen immediately," said Sarabi. "The title meant nothing to me without Mufasa. And I would rather have been a common lioness than be Scar's queen."

"So why did—" Simba began.

"Simba, wait. Let me finish." She opened her mouth and paused. Then she frowned, clearly having forgotten her line.

"Go on," said Simba, trying to salvage the scene. Sarabi decided to roll with it.

"So I...I, uh...made it very clear that I...didn't want his company. So I...started sleeping with another lion and made sure he knew about it—"

"What?" said Asante, sitting up from his chair and grabbing the script from the table side.

"It doesn't say that," Incarnate protested from beside him, shooting Sarabi a dirty look.

"Sleeping with another lion, huh?" said Simba. "And how is that any better than getting intimate with Scar?"

"And doesn't that mean you have another kid running around somewhere?" Nala asked pointedly.

"Oh, forget this," grumbled Sarabi. "Let's just start again."

※

"The Runaway Heir" Scene 4, Take 1

"I don't like heights," Kopa said in a small voice.

"It's safe, come on," Siri reassured him.

"What if you jump and miss it?"

"Then you fall to a horrible death," she said brightly. "We've only had it happen twice before, so it's not a big deal."

Kopa seemed genuinely afraid now. "Seriously?"

"Siri!" shouted Incarnate.

"What?" she said. "That's what it says in the script!"

"It does _not_," he said, snatching up the script. But when he flipped to the page, he saw that it was indeed the very words she had said. "Alright, who's been messing with my script?"

From off-set, Tumaini tried to contain his giggling.

※

"Of Cowards and Fools" Scene 1, Take 1

"Tumaini!" called Afua, dashing up to him. "Tumaini, where are you going?"

Tumaini winced and swiped out a paw to shut him up. He accidentally caught Afua right in the face and sent him flying. Tumaini put one paw to his mouth. "Oh, shi—!"

"Nice one," said adult Afua, helping his younger counterpart get up. "You alright, kid?"

Cub Afua rubbed his face ruefully. "Do me a favour and hit him for me."

"Sure thing." Adult Afua bound over to the older Tumaini, who was pouring a cup of coffee from off-set, and dealt him a hard smack on the back of the head.

"Ow!" said adult Tumaini angrily. "What did I do?"

"Well, only you exist in the same time as me," adult Afua said. "So I thought it'd be fair."

Adult Tumaini glared at his adolescent self, who shrugged apologetically. "Hey, better you than me."

※

"Of Cowards and Fools" Scene 1, Take 2

"Okay, so you two are going to be arguing right here," Incarnate explained. "Tumaini and Afua will sneak by and I'll give you the signal to stop shouting."

"Okay," said Kumi, a little uncertainly. "What are we arguing about?"

"I don't know, you come up with something. What do I pay you for?"

"To dramatically recite a script and pretend it's interesting."

Asante laughed. Incarnate nudged him in the ribs. "Okay, ready? One, two, three, action!"

Kumi turned to look at Malka, unsure of what to say. "Uh...I'm angry at you!"

"I'm angry at you too!" he shouted back.

"Well, I was angry at you first!"

"Oh yeah, well I can yell louder than you! So, um...bite me!"

Tumaini and Afua, who were sneaking by, stopped as a roar of pain was heard from behind them. They turned to see Kumi, who had done as Malka said and bit him on the shoulder. She let go sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. Was I not supposed to take that literally?"

Asante was still laughing. Incarnate grabbed a pen and a notepad and shoved it at him. "Here, you think this is so funny, you can write their script. And make it real specific, since these two obviously suck at ad-libbing."

"Okay," said Asante. "I've got a few ideas already."

"And no swearing," said Incarnate.

"Oh. But what about—"

"Not even 'crap'."

"Aww," said Asante. "You're no fun."

※

"Of Cowards and Fools" Scene 2, Take 1

"Let's play hide-and-seek," said Kafiri.

"All right!" said Afua.

"Hide-and-seek?" said Fuada. "Don't be such an overgrown cub—"

She shot him a glare, then her eyes flicked to Afua briefly. The meaning was clear: the game would be a distraction for the cub, and give everyone else the chance to give him the slip.

"—alright, hide-and-seek it is," Fuada said, as if that settled the matter.

"Not it," said the adolescents in unison, sounding indeed like a bunch of overgrown cubs.

"Not...oh, come on," grumbled Afua, just a bit slower than everyone else.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," interrupted Asante, standing up.

"What?" asked Incarnate.

"Are you stealing lines from my stories?" Asante asked indignantly.

"Wha—no! When did I—"

"I used this exact same line in _The Lion King IV: The Rogue Pride_, you know."

"You did? Oh right, you did...huh." Incarnate scratched his head. "I didn't even read that until after I've finished this script, honest."

"Well, can you take it out?"

"Do I have to? This is one of my rare moments of humour in the story."

Asante sighed. "I guess you do need more humour. But don't blame me if my distributors send their lawyers after you. They're all a bunch of blood-sucking leeches."

"I'll give you twenty bucks if you make them look the other way," offered Incarnate.

"Deal," Asante said immediately.

※

"Of Cowards and Fools" Scene 3, Take 1

There was a loud crack as the rock lodged between a crevice in a sloped part of the cliff. The force of the impact dislodged more, and it cracked open half the cliff face, sending a hail of rocks pouring rapidly down into the gorge. Tumaini froze.

The others were staring down into the gorge, frozen and unsure of what to do. The calamity eventually died down and everything was silent once more.

Kafiri gave a start, realizing that it was her line. She struggled to remember, and said the first thing that came to her mind. "Uh...well, that sucks."

※

"A Change in the Plans" Scene 2, Voice-over

"So this is the scene where you introduce some of the _Six New Adventures_ characters," said Simba, reading over the script.

"It is," said Incarnate. "Now all these lines are going to be in your head. So just speak into the mic for the voice over."

He left Simba in the sound-proof podium to the audio control room, where a few others were standing and reading the script as well.

"Every writer puts me and Tojo together," grumbled Tama.

"That's because you guys look cute together," Incarnate pointed out. "Not to mention his caring nature is a good contrast to your..." he trailed off.

"My what?" Tama said challengingly, with a rather intimidating glare.

"Nothing," Incarnate squeaked, taking a step away from those claws. She bared her teeth.

"Those birds are annoying," she said. "They keep trying to peck me in the eye."

"Well, you'll just have to put up with it," said Incarnate. "They're going to act like they love you, so you have to do the same."

"You know, I'm pretty sure we're both supposed to be gold," Babu said, approaching with Boga. "But you've coloured me brown..."

"And I look like a walking brick," said Boga.

"Hey!" Chumvi said from off to the side.

Incarnate shrugged. "That's because you had to look like Kula and Chumvi. And no one confirmed that you two were those two cubs in the _Vulture Shock_ pictures."

"This colouring powder makes me itchy," Babu muttered.

"Look on the bright side," Incarnate said pointedly. "At least you don't look generic—" He broke off and turned to look at Simba, who was still reading his lines on the other side of the glass. Incarnate pressed the microphone button and spoke into it. "Wait, Simba, could you read over your last three lines again?"

"She did just fine after Scar died and took over the Pridelands," recited Simba, reading the script word for word. He paused. "'Died and took over the Pridelands'? That makes no sense."

"Keep reading," said Incarnate.

"Even though he tried to get intimate with her," read Simba, looking more confused by the second. "That would have been weird, if I came back and she had cubs with him. I mean, then this whole story wouldn't exist because Kopa would never have been born..."

"Right," said Incarnate, walking out of the booth. "I'm going to find out who keeps messing with my script. And then I'm going to kill them."

※

"Rogues in the Pridelands" Scene 1, Take 1

"So, what is it?" Kiara asked.

Kovu's expression became serious. "Just wondering...about that night a couple weeks ago. I never got to ask, what did you think?"

"Well, if you must know, you looked like you were having a bit of trouble," she said. "Guess it was a new thing for both of us. But you seemed patient, so I took my time too. It was fun though."

"I'm glad you liked it. I had no idea what I was doing, but I think it was worth it since we both got better at it . Truth be told, I don't normally like getting wet—"

"Wait, wait, stop," said Incarnate. "Guys, are you really going to do it like that?"

"What?" Kovu asked blankly.

"For one thing, no one's supposed to know about that yet. The script says to lead the conversation to talking about Kopa, and this is just inappropriate."

Kiara looked confused. "Inappropriate? We were talking about the time we practiced swimming in the river. Since I nearly drowned in _The Lion King II_..."

"Oh," said Incarnate, suddenly looking very embarrassed.

"Why, what were you thinking of?" Kovu asked curiously.

"Nothing..."

※

"Rogues in the Pridelands" Scene 4, Take 1

"Afua," Kopa called. Afua turned around.

"Hi, Kopa."

"Where's Bieber—Beba, sorry. Lemme try again." Kopa wriggled his tongue and hurried back to his starting spot.

"Everyone keeps calling me that ever since he became famous," complained adult Beba from off-set.

Incarnate gave a start and turned around. "Beba, what are you doing here?"

"You contacted me and asked if I wanted to be in your story," the cheetah said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but that's not until book 5—"

"Aha!" said Asante, taking out his phone. "Story leaks! Time to update my blog..."

"No, no, no, no!" said Incarnate frantically, running over and trying to take the phone. Asante held it out of his reach, grinning mischievously. "Asante, no one's supposed to know about that just yet."

"Too late," said Asante, showing him the uploaded content on the phone screen. "And his character gets a lot of fangirls, I know from personal experience when I had Beba in my story. So enjoy the flood of letters you'll be getting soon."

"You suck," muttered Incarnate, sitting down rather crossly.

※

"Rogues in the Pridelands" Scene 4, Take 2

Kopa awoke from his dream, leaping to his feet suddenly—

—and hit the back of his head on the low ceiling. "Ow, f—!"

"Whose bright idea was it to put us under here anyway?" asked Siri, opening her eyes and staring up at the stone ceiling right above them. Kopa clutched his head, swearing.

※

"On the Move" Scene 1, Take 1

"Janga, you can't be serial," said Kivuli.

"Oh, I'm perfectly serial," replied Janga with a straight face. "In fact, I'm so cereal that I could probably bunch it all up and eat it for breakfast. With milk, of course."

"Janga, try to be serious," said Incarnate, as Kivuli burst out laughing. "And Kivuli, try to _say _'serious'. Seriously."

※

"On the Move" Scene 1, Take 2

"I know my limits, Kavuli," said Janga. "No, that's not right, is it..."

※

"On the Move" Scene 1, Take 3

"I know my limits, Kuvali," said Janga. "Kuva—Kavu—is it Kavuli?"

"Kivuli," Incarnate corrected.

※

"On the Move" Scene 1, Take 4

"I know my limits, Kovu—did I just call you Kovu? I'm sorry, let's do this again. I'll get it right this time, I promise."

※

"On the Move" Scene 1, Take 5

"I know my limits, Kevu—aagh. Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Her name is Kivuli," said Incarnate. "And she's supposed to be one of your closest friends."

"Well excuse me if you only gave me two scenes in the previous story," said Janga.

"Janga, you got hired by to play Binti in _Heart of the Shadowlands_," Incarnate said exasperatedly. "There's a character named Kivuli in that story too."

"Yes, but it's not the same thing. I didn't really have a lot of practice saying Kovali—"

"Kivuli!"

"Whatever!"

※

"On the Move" Scene 2, Take 1

"Kiara, I was wondering why you looked familiar," Sabini said. "You were still a newborn when I last saw you. She looks exactly like Janga, doesn't she, Ni?"

"God, I should hope not," Ni said. "I mean, Janga's not bad of a looker, but this whole franchise has tread close enough to incest already. Let's try to avoid that bridge if we don't have to cross it."

Sabini looked confused. Then she realized what she said. "Oh, pfft. Sorry, I don't know why I said Janga. Nala, I meant Nala."

※

"On the Move" Scene 2, Take 2

"Kiara, I was wondering why you looked familiar," Sabini said. "You were still a newborn when I last saw you. She looks exactly like Nala, doesn't she, Ni?"

"God, I should hope not," Ni said, still thinking of the previous take. "I mean, uh, that's not what I meant." He fumbled with this for a few moments, while Sabini and Kiara stared at him awkwardly. He finally composed himself, and tried to salvage his line. "Yes, yes I do hope so. Um...your mother was very pretty Kiara, even as a cub. At least I thought so...not in a weird way, of course, but..."

"Just stop," said Incarnate. "And try to stick with your line, please."

※

"On the Move" Scene 3, Take 1

Rafiki took a leafy plant tied to his staff. "I have here a herb that will comfort you. If you take it, the cub will die from the effects, but the pains will no longer bother you."

Kiara shook her head. "Isn't there another way?"

"I could always hit you on the head with this," said Rafiki, gesturing to his staff.

Kiara laughed. "Uh, no thanks."

"Do it and you die," said Kovu.

Rafiki looked rather disappointed.

※

"On the Move" Scene 6, Take 1

"About time," Fujo said. "I've been waiting for hours."

"You really do expect too much, Fujo," growled Jeraha, climbing out of the bush. "And I'm not very pleased with you right now."

Fujo smirked. "Well, I'm sorry. But I don't think it's ever been my job to pleasure you—that sounded wrong."

※

"On the Move" Scene 6, Take 2

"You really do expect too much, Fujo," growled Jeraha, climbing out of the bush. "And there are a lot of things I'm tempted to do to you right now."

Fujo smirked. "Threaten me all you like, Jeraha. But Janga needs me, so if you're not afraid of what she might think, go ahead and do your things to me—" Jeraha started laughing, and Fujo glared at him in mock irritation. "Oh come on, you set me up for that one. Don't even lie."

※

"On the Move" Scene 6, Take 3

Jeraha stepped out of the bush and opened his mouth to say his line, but before he could do so, Fujo said, "Is that Pride Rock you're stepping over or are you just happy to see me?"

Every lion on set doubled over, roaring with laughter.

"That one was your fault," snickered Jeraha, smacking Fujo on the shoulder.

※

"Reunited in Passing" Scene 4, Take 1

Fujo lunged at Sarabi, who leaped up and locked claws with him. The two lions fought brutally, hacking and swiping and putting on a very convincing show.

Sarabi's paw shot out, tripping Fujo and knocking him onto his stomach. She leaped on him and put her paws around the back of his neck, pressing down hard. He winced. "Owowow, hey, stop! Leggo!"

Janga and her lions burst onto the scene, surprised. "Mother! Are you—what the..." She quickly leaped forward and pulled Sarabi off Fujo. "Um, you were supposed to lose that fight."

"Sarabi, what is this about?" Incarnate asked.

"I am sick and tired of having my character getting killed off in these damn stories!" she growled. "What do you all have against me, huh?"

Fujo lay whimpering on the ground.

"Sarabi, cool down and go get some water," said Incarnate. "Come back when you don't feel like strangling my actors."

Sarabi stormed off, muttering, "First Asante...then Bookworm Gal...now you..."

※

"Reunited in Passing" Scene 4, Take 2

"Err, sorry about earlier," Sarabi said, shuffling her paws. "I kinda lost it and it wasn't even your fault."

Fujo rubbed his neck. "Remind me never to piss you off."

The two lions took their positions. "Action!" Incarnate said. Fujo dove out of the bushes, lunging at Sarabi. They started to fight.

Kopa, who was running towards them, tripped over a rock and started rolling down the hill instead. "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII..." He burst through the bushes and knocked into Fujo, and they both fell flat.

Janga and her lions appeared on the other side. "Mother! Are—oh, come on." She turned around promptly and walked out of sight again with her lions.

※

"Reunited in Passing" Scene 5, Take 1

Sarabi smiled gently up at Janga. "Look at you...all grown up...I never thought I'd see you again..."

"I was coming to find you," Janga whispered. "I've missed—"

And then Kopa sneezed from behind the bush. He poked his head out, smiling sheepishly at the two lionesses glaring at him. "Sorry, I tried to hold it."

"Way to ruin the moment, Kopa," said Janga exasperatedly.

※

"Captured" Scene 3, Take 1

Kivuli swiped a claw at Simba, but he ducked the blow, and headbutted her in the ribs. She slammed into a tree, breaking it and causing it to topple.

"Crap!" yelled Incarnate and Asante at the same time, diving to either side as the tree smashed onto their table and cracked it in half.

※

"Captured" Scene 3, Take 2

Afua punched Simba hard under the chin. His other paw came down but missed, grazing the side of Simba's face.

"Cut, let's do it again," said Incarnate.

※

"Captured" Scene 3, Take 3

Afua punched Simba hard under the chin. He brought back his other paw to bring it down on Simba's head, but accidentally hit a nearby lion instead.

Afua turned around. "Oh, sorry."

"Do it again," said Incarnate.

"This is starting to hurt," said Simba, massaging his face. "Could you get it right already, Afua?"

※

"Captured" Scene 3, Take 4

Afua punched Simba under the chin. Then his other paw came down, smashing the older lion hard over the head and knocking him out.

Afua slid himself under Simba and tried to run—and then collapsed.

"Oh geez, you're so heavy, Simba," he wheezed, unable to breathe. As Simba got off him, Afua gasped for breath. "How am I going to do this?"

"Stunt double it is," said Incarnate, beckoning for Afua's much stronger stunt double to come over.

"I told you to lose weight before we started shooting," called Nala from off-set. Kovu and Kiara, standing next to her, laughed as Simba gave them a dirty look.

※

"Captured" Scene 6, Take 1

Kiara lay curled up on the stony hollow floor, with Kovu beside her and murmuring in her ear. Her eyes opened as Rafiki approached, and she whispered, "Rafiki, can we do the rest of this scene in a minute? I have to pee."

※

"True Intentions" Scene 1, Take 1

Fujo, who was running as quickly as he could, reached Malka and his team. Between gasping breaths, he panted, "Malka—Kopa's—somewhere—Tumaini—somewhere else—can't remember—line—gonna try again—"

※

"True Intentions" Scene 2, Take 1

Kopa lunged at Fujo and tackled him to the ground. Fujo yelled and covered his face, struggling to free himself. "Ahh, no! Don't do it, don't..." Then he opened his eyes and saw that it was Kopa, who was staring down at him in confusion.

"You okay?" Kopa asked.

"Yeah, sorry," said Fujo. "I just...panicked."

Sarabi, who was standing off-set getting the fake blood cleaned off her fur, chuckled quietly. "I think I've scarred him for life."

※

"Forgotten Friends and Forsworn Family" Scene 2, Take 1

"They've unblocked the tunnels," Siri murmured.

"What?" Tumaini asked.

"When I saw Janga's pride here, they were having trouble unblo—"

There was an explosion of sound above them as the boulder blocking the water tunnel burst out. Kopa ducked as it flew past where his face was a moment ago. He turned to stare at the boulder as it crashed into the wall behind him. "That nearly decapitated me! Incarnate, you said your props were safe—"

Kopa was hit by a jet of water, and was thrown head over tail down the tunnel. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh..." his voice trailed off as he rolled away from the chamber.

Tumaini looked back at Siri, who wasn't sure what to say now. "Looks more like she's having trouble keeping them blocked," he remarked.

※

"Forgotten Friends and Forsworn Family" Scenes 3—5, Take 1

Kopa ran towards the edge of the tunnel overlooking the chamber and stepped into a puddle. He slipped just as he leaped off the edge. "Aw, son of a..."

Tumaini saw his blur coming down towards them. "Kopa!"

Kopa's trajectory was way off due to his slip, and he was flying not towards a guard, but the wall instead. Seeing this, the guard deliberately tried to position him in Kopa's way, but wasn't fast enough.

Everyone on-set and off it winced at the sound made from Kopa's head-first collision with the solid stone wall. "That's going to leave a mark," said Asante.

Incarnate was looking over the footage of Kopa's clumsy fall, as well as the guard actually trying to get attacked. "And now I've got some really awkward footage."

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 1

"So I just ask a bunch of random questions?" Tumaini asked, reading over the script.

"That's right," said Incarnate. "You want to know every little thing there is to know about him."

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Action."

Tumaini walked down the corridor with the others, and asked Mateka. "What's his favourite type of flower?"

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 2

"Is he better-looking than me?"

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 3

"Can he eat grubs? I know Kopa is actually very partial to them."

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 4

"Has he gotten a girlfriend yet?"

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 5

"Does he like the Buzzard Boyz? I like the Buzzard Boyz..."

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 1, Take 47

"...um, I don't know how I'm even supposed to answer that," said Mateka after countless takes.

"Forget this," groaned Incarnate. "I'm going to write you an actual script here."

"Should've done that in the first place, don't you think?" asked Tumaini.

"Shut up."

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 3, Take 2

Siri's paw grabbed onto Kopa's, and she put her other paw on the rocks. Straining, he managed to pull her up.

Tumaini was standing below them, staring up awkwardly. "Um...why aren't the rocks falling on me?"

Siri kicked and shoved at a rock with her hind paw, trying to get it loose. "Stupid...rock...it's stuck..." As she pushed it hard, it tumbled free, causing her to lose her footing. "Aagh!" She was still holding onto Kopa, and they both fell back into the chamber, right on top of Tumaini.

"What is it with me and rocks and falling," Kopa grumbled, getting to his paws.

"At least I didn't have to catch you on a mattress this time," Janga pointed out from off-set.

※

"Kopa's Decision" Scene 3, Take 2

"Collapse the tunnel," Kopa said quietly to Siri.

"What am I supposed to tell your father?" she said, crying.

"Tell him..." Tumaini paused. "...I forgot my line. Tell him I forgot my line."

※

"Epilogue" Scene 1, Take 1

"I believe they've both been captured by Janga," said Siri.

"Then we're not done here yet," said Simba. "I'm going to Mount Tempest. Those who are willing to come with me are welcome to. If you don't want to come, go...do something else...I guess..."

"Real smooth, Simba," said Nala, as the entire cast began laughing.

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

**And there you have it. It was getting late, but I decided to get this done already while I still can. I didn't want it to be a repeat of book 1's blooper reel, but some of the scenes I just had to re-use (such as the mispronouncing of names). I hope you liked these, I'll be working on book 3's reel...eventually. I have to take breaks between each one though, since I only have a limited reserve of funniness and even then I don't know how much you would laugh at these. Anyway, I have to recharge my ideas before I start writing book 3's bloopers, so in the meantime...go do something else...I guess...  
**


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